WINGATE, N.C. — The Wingate Bulldogs had to rally from behind in both games to sweep Saturday’s South Atlantic Conference baseball doubleheader over visiting Tusculum.
Wingate (8-9, 5-4 SAC) won the first game 11-7 and posted a 9-8 victory in the night-cap to complete the weekend sweep over the Pioneers (4-13, 1-5 SAC).
Tusculum’s Ty Smith had an outstanding day as he went 6-for-9 at the plate with four doubles.
Game 1: Wingate 11, Tusculum 7
In Saturday’s first game, Wingate overcame a 5-2 deficit as the Bulldogs scored nine runs over the final three innings in an 11-7 victory at Ron Christopher Stadium.
The Bulldogs posted 14 hits including three-hit performances by Sean Sullivan, Joe Scheffler and Landon Meyer.
Wingate jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, scoring one run each in the second and third innings. Meanwhile, Bulldog starter Collin McDougall, retired the first eight Pioneers in a row and blanked TU over the first three innings.
Tusculum broke through in the fourth as TU plated four runs highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Avery Collins. The Pioneers added a run in the top of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead.
Wingate chipped away at the lead with a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to tie the game at 5-5.
In the top of the eighth, Tusculum’s Omar Carreras led off with an infield single, moved to second on a passed ball and advanced to third when Ben Scartz got aboard on a Wingate error. Reliever Cal Riehl took over and got Ty Smith to hit a grounder to first baseman Owen Crevelt, who threw home in time to get pinch-runner Sawyer Pace out at the plate. A fly out and a strikeout got Riehl and the Bulldogs out of the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, Wingate erupted for six runs thanks to four hits, one walk and a Tusculum error. The big hit of the inning came on Gavin Groppuso’s two-run triple as the Bulldogs took an 11-5 lead into the final frame.
Tusculum got its first two hitters on and Caleb Webster came through with a two-run single. But Riehl (1-2) sealed the victory as he got a ground out and a fly out to end the game.
The Pioneers accounted for a dozen hits in the loss as Ryan Ortega, Webster, Carreras and Smith all has multiple-hit outings.
Game 2: Wingate 9, Tusculum 8
Wingate jumped out to a 7-0 lead, gave it up as Tusculum scored eight in a row, before the Bulldogs scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the fifth as the hosts won the night-cap 9-8.
The Bulldogs batted around in the bottom of the first with Evan Barefoot’s bases-loaded triple being the big hit in a six-run frame.
Wingate made it 7-0 in the second as Breon Ishmael drew a two-out walk and scored on a Cam Harris triple.
Tusculum began its rally in the third with some two-out magic of its own. Ortega reached on a double and scored on Justin Millsaps RBI single. In the TU fourth, Smith had a two-out double down the left field line and Connor Jurek followed with a double of his own as the Pioneers trailed 7-2.
Tusculum erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth inning as 11 Pioneers went to the plate. TU used five singles, two hit batters and a WU error.
Now trailing 8-7, Will Hoffman was hit by a pitch and Owen Crevelt belted a two-run homer to left field as the Bulldogs retook the lead at 9-8.
Both teams would go out in order in the sixth to set up an exciting seventh inning. Reliever Cole Smith was entering his second inning of work. He got a strikeout to start the frame, but Smith got aboard with a single and Jurek added a base hit of his own as TU had a pair of runners on. After an infield fly out, Jack Gagen drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Ellis Yohn took over for the Wingate and got the final out of the game with a fly to right.
The Pioneers out-hit Wingate 12-5 when Smith having an outstanding game with his 4-for-4 performance. Jurek went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Tusculum.
Smith (1-0) earned the victory, while Yohn notched the save, his first of 2025.
Tusculum returns to action on Tuesday when the Pioneers travel to UVA Wise for a 6 p.m., mid-week, non-conference outing
