ANDERSON, S.C. - The Wingate University baseball team completed a three-game sweep past Anderson, defeating the Trojans, 15-1 and 4-1, Saturday afternoon at Anderson Memorial Stadium.

Wingate improved to 22-12 overall and 14-4 in the conference with its eighth consecutive win and remained at the top of the league standings by recording its second straight conference sweep. Anderson slipped to 9-25 overall and 4-14 in the conference.

Game #1
Wingate 15, Anderson 1

Junior catcher Ben Pendleton was 1-for-3 in the opener and scored the Trojans' lone run, while shortstop Brett Cash and junior Harrison Monda each added a single. Junior Paul Como recorded a seventh-inning single.

Wingate sophomore Josh Clark was 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore centerfielder Thomas Spitz was also 3-for-5 with a double, two triples, three RBI and a run scored. Redshirt sophomore first baseman Brad Cherry was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two run scored, while junior infielder Matthew Barrier had a homer and two RBI for the Bulldogs.

Freshman left-hander TJ Rinoski got the win, improving to 4-0. He went the distance, allowing a run on four hits, striking out five without walking a batter. Rinoski did not allow a hit from the third through the sixth inning, retiring 12 consecutive batters at one point, while recording his second complete game of the year. Senior right-hander Erick Sanderson took the loss for Anderson, falling to 1-4. He allowed eight runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings of work.

The Bulldogs got on the board in the second when Clark connected on his team-best sixth home run of the year, a solo shot to left to make it 1-0.

Wingate added four more runs in the third to push the lead to five. Junior outfielder Eric Serra drove home the first run with an RBI single, then went to third on a single from freshman outfielder Bill Krebs and scored on a passed ball. Spitz followed with an RBI triple to plate Krebs, while an RBI single from Clark made it 5-0.

Cherry ripped a one-out double in the fourth, then scored on an RBI single from Krebs. Spitz followed with a two-run triple to give the Bulldogs an 8-0 lead. Sophomore infielder Blake Prince connected on his third homer of the year in the fifth to push the advantage to nine.

A single from redshirt senior designated hitter Jason Hunter in the seventh, followed by another double from Cherry put runners on second and third with two outs for the Bulldogs. Sophomore shortstop Michael Godinez ripped a two-run double to left center to make it 11-0.

Sophomore outfielder Will Sapp led off the eighth with a pinch-hit single, then scored on an RBI-double from redshirt senior infielder Brian Yeung to push the advantage to 12. Yeung scored on another RBI single from Clark to make it 13-0. Barrier would then connect on his first homer of the year, a two-run shot to left center to give Wingate a 15-run lead.

The Trojans avoided the shutout with a run in the bottom of the eighth, as Pendleton laced a one-out single to right-center and crossed the plate on Monda's two-out pinch-hit single to center.

Game #2
Wingate 4, Anderson 1

Junior catcher Jonathan Zalud was a perfect 3-for-3 for the Trojans in in the nightcap, while freshman Chris Ayers added a single and a double and scored a run. Sanderson notched an RBI-double in the sixth.

Serra was 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Bulldogs. Cherry was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Prince went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Junior right-hander Stephen Vaughan got the win for Wingate, improving to 3-2. He allowed a run on six hits in six innings of work, striking out two. Sophomore right-hander Brett Morgan worked a scoreless seventh to notch his third save of the year. Thomas Goodman took the loss, falling to 2-3. He allowed four runs on 10 hits in five innings of work.

The Trojans threatened in their half of the first inning, as junior Josh Hickman led off with a walk and Ayers followed with a single through the left side, but Vaughan settled down to retire the next three AU batters and end the threat.

The Bulldogs got on the board in the third, when Cherry led off the frame with a single, then scored on an error after a single from Godinez. A Hunter single started the fifth, while Cherry followed with a double to put runners on second and third with no outs. Serra plated both with a two-run single to make it 3-0.

Spitz drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, then went to second on Yeung's single. An RBI-single from Prince plated Spitz to make it 4-0.

The Trojans got on the board in the sixth on an RBI-double from Sanderson to make the final margin 4-1, as Ayers crossed the plate.

Anderson will get back on the diamond Tuesday, when the Trojans play host to North Greenville, with first-pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. The Trojans defeated the Crusaders, 7-4, last Wednesday in Tigerville.