Staff report

FOREST CITY — It was supposed to be another routine Catawba coronation, but underdog Wingate didn’t get the memo.

The Bulldogs finished an amazing run in the South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament by storming out of the loser’s bracket and handling top-seeded Catawba twice at McNair Field on Monday afternoon.

Winning its first SAC tournament title since 2011, Wingate outscored the Indians decisively,  8-2 and 11-5. Wingate, a No. 5 seed that had to participate in a Thursday first-round game just to qualify for the double-elimination phase of the tournament, went 6-1 in the event and claimed the SAC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.

Wingate (32-21) batted .357 in the tournament, scored 70 runs and hit 14 homers.

Catawba (38-12) entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the regional poll and was positioned to be the regional host, but now Catawba isn’t guaranteed anything. Coach Jim Gantt’s Indians have three road games upcoming against tough opponents, two at USC-Aiken and one at Mount Olive. Those were scheduled as tune-up games to prepare for the regional, but now the results of those games will have a major bearing on Catawba’s future.

In the first game, Catawba took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Luke Setzer’s two-run single up the middle, but the Bulldogs scored three times in the third inning against Catawba starter Russ Weiker. Wingate led the rest of the way and four runs in the seventh inning pretty much iced the issue.

Wingate hurlers Brett Morgan and Brandon Donahue held the Indians to three hits. Thomas Spitz hit two of Wingate’s three home runs.

In the nightcap, Catawba led early, 4-0, but Wingate tied the game in the third inning, grabbed the lead in the fourth, and then pulled way with a five-run sixth frame. The Bulldogs made it 11-5 in the bottom of the eighth on another RBI double from Spitz, a senior who named the tournament MVP, going 15-for-29 (.517) with three homers, five doubles, 16 RBI and 12 runs scored in the seven games.

Junior right-hander Tyler Brown  got the win in his third appearance of the tournament. He allowed a run on five hits in six innings of relief work, striking out two and walking one to move to 8-4.

Bryan Blanton, the second of four Catawba pitchers, took the loss to fall to 1-2. He allowed a run on three hits in one inning of work.

Will Albertson homered to left-center in the first inning, his 25th of the season, to break the school record. Jerry Sands, now with the Cleveland Indians, hit 24 in 2008, while East Rowan grad David Trexler belted 24 in 1999.

Setzer homered for the Indians in the second inning. Catawba had nine hits, three by Albertson and two by T.J. Wharton.

The Southeast Regional will take place on May 14-17, at a site to be determined.

Catawba won the regional in 2012, played at Mount Olive, advancing to the Division II World Series at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary.  The Indians went 2-2 there, finishing fourth in the nation.

Game 1

Wingate     000   300    401   — 8    11   0

Catawba    020    000    00x  — 2     3    1

W — Morgan (7-3). L — Weiker (3-2).

HR — Wingate: Spitz 2 (16), Barnette (13).

 

Game 2

Catawba      130     000   010   —   5   9   1

Wingate      013     105      01x  —   11  16  1

W — T. Brown (8-4). L — Blanton (1-2).

HR — Catawba: Albertson (25), Setzer (4),  Wingate: B. Brown (10), Clark (9).