Wingate, NC – Southern Wesleyan dropped the final two games against the Wingate Bulldogs.  The Warriors dropped game one 14-4 before falling in game two 11-6.

The Warriors picked up eight hits in game one with Marty Grisso leading the team with two hits.  Grisso and Nolan Evatt each doubled.  Niko Laing walked, and both Josh Long and Griffin Pickhardt were hit by pitches.  Gage Shaver started the game on the mound and pitched four innings while striking out three batters.

Southern Wesleyan collected 12 hits in game two of the day.  Gage Shaver went 3-for-4 at the plate.  Nolan Evatt, Cam Mitchem and Gavin Mitchell each had two hits in the game.  Mitchem hit a home run.  Shaver and Evatt each tripled, and Shaver, Marty Grisso and Mitchem all doubled.  Shaver and Mitchem each had two RBIs.  Josh Long had the lone stolen base of the game.  Lukas Arvantides started the final game of the series on the mound and went 2.2 innings while striking out one batter.  Garrett Swink had the other strikeout of the game.

Game Vitals

Game One Final: Wingate 14, Southern Wesleyan 4

Game Two Final: Wingate 11, Southern Wesleyan 6

Records: Southern Wesleyan (8-31) Wingate (20-17)

How It Happened

Game One

Wingate charged out of the gate as they brought five runs in to score in the bottom of the first inning.

The Warriors scored their first run of the game in the second inning.  Marty Grisso led off the inning by hitting a double to right center field.  With Grisso in scoring position, Jack Dennison singled to center field to bring Grisso in to score.

The Bulldogs would not relent as they brought more runs in to score in the fourth and fifth innings to extend on their lead.

Southern Wesleyan brought another run in to score in the top of the sixth.  Josh Long led off the inning by singling to left field.  With one out, Marty Grisso singled to right center field to allow Long to advance to second.  Caide Linker then came up to the plate and hit a single up the middle to bring Long in to score.

However, Wingate was able to bring three more runs in to score in the bottom of the inning.

The Warriors continued to put up a fight in the seventh inning.  Niko Laing led off the inning with a walk and then advanced to third base as Nolan Evatt hit a double to left center field.  Josh Long was then hit by a pitch to load up the bases for Cam Mitchem.  Mitchem hit a single just past third base to bring Laing in to score.  With the bases loaded, Marty Grisso hit into a fielder's choice that took Long off the bases, but allowed Evatt to come in to score.

The Bulldogs continued to push ahead as they plated three more runs to win the game in a 14-4 final score.

Game Two

Southern Wesleyan went on the offensive early in the final game of the series.  Nolan Evatt kicked off the game by hitting a triple to right field.  Evatt came in to score as Josh Long hit a single to center field.  Long then stole second base.  With two out and Long at third, Cam Mitchem hit a two-run home run over the left center field fence to extend the Warriors lead to 3-0.

The lead was short lived as a two-run home run by Will Farrell and several key hits allowed five runs to come in to score for the Bulldogs.

The Warriors answered in the second inning.  With one out, Gavin Mitchell hit a single through the left side of the infield.  Nolan Evatt then singled to allow Mitchell to advance to second.  Josh Long flew out to right field to allow Mitchell to advance to third.  With runners on the corners and two out, Gage Shaver hit a double to left field to bring both Evatt and Mitchell in to score.  Marty Grisso then hit a double to right center field to bring Shaver in to score and put the Warriors on top 6-5.

Wingate tied the game in the bottom of the third inning as a ground out by Cam Harris allowed Hoffman to come in to score.

The Bulldogs were not done as they scored five more runs in the fifth inning to win the game in an 11-6 final score.

What's Next

Southern Wesleyan will remain on the road on April 8 as they travel to Mars Hill, NC to take on the Mars Hill Lions.  They will then travel up to Bristol, TN to take on the King Tornado on April 11-12.  The Warriors will take on the Anderson Trojans on April 15.