Salisbury, N.C.----The third-seeded and 13th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs plated 10 runs in the fourth inning Friday afternoon en route to a 14-10 victory over seventh-seeded Belmont Abbey College on day two of the NCAA Southeast Regional baseball tournament. The 'Dogs improve to 40-18 overall, advancing to take on Young Harris Saturday at 2 p.m. in another elimination game. The Crusaders end their season at 38-16.
KEY STATS
- Belmont Abbey out-hit Wingate 12-10
- The Crusaders had five of the eight extra-base hits with four of the five homers
- The Bulldogs left eight on base; BAC stranded five
- Belmont Abbey committed all three errors in the contest
- BAC pitching struck out nine and walked eight; WU struck out six and walked five
KEY BULLDOGS
-
Tanner McCammon was three-for-five with a double, homer, three RBI and three runs scored
-
Jake Courville added two hits, two RBI and three runs scored
-
Brad Hart also had two hits, two RBI and a pair of runs scored
-
Neil Griffin drove in two runs
-
Gavin Groppuso and Bowen Powell each contributed a hit, RBI and run scored
-
Jalen Evans went two-for-three with a double and an RBI
-
Reed Benamati scored a pair of runs; Will Farrell also scored a run
-
Carson Starnes went 5 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, striking out five while allowing five runs
FIRST INNING
- Couville started things with a one-out single to left
- McCammon followed with a two-run homer to give the 'Dogs an early 2-0 lead
- Joe Whitaker's RBI double in the bottom of the frame cut the lead in half
THIRD INNING
- McCammon's lined a one-out single to left
- Evans followed with an RBI double down the right field line to make it 3-1
- Whitaker's three-run homer in the bottom of the frame gave Belmont Abbey a 4-3 advantage
FOURTH INNING
- Two hit batters and an error loaded the bases for Wingate to start the fourth
- Powell's RBI single tied it at four
- McCammon drew a bases-loaded walk, while Courville scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-4
- Griffin's RBI groundout stretched the lead to three
- Hart lined a two-run single to left to make it 9-4
- Farrell scored on a wild pitch to put the Bulldogs in double figures
- Groppuso followed with an RBI single
- Courville's two-run single put the 'Dogs on top 13-4
- A Mason Janz RBI single in the bottom of the frame cut the lead to eight
FIFTH INNING
- A Caleb Burr solo shot made it 13-6
SEVENTH INNING
- Courville drew a one-out walk, then went to third on McCammon's double
- Griffin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to push the lead back to eight
- Another solo shot from Burr made it 14-7 in the bottom of the frame
NINTH INNING
- Jacob Steinberg connected on a three-run homer with two outs to make the final margin 14-10
WRAPUP
- Starnes got the win, allowing five runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five
- Spencer Cipro took the loss, allowing seven runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings of work
UP NEXT
- Wingate is back in action Saturday at 2 p.m., facing Young Harris in an elimination game
- The winner of that game will face Catawba Saturday at 6 p.m.
- If that team beats Catawba, there will be one more game Sunday afternoon in Salisbury
