WINGATE, N.C. --- Josh Haggerty and Cam Harris drew back-to-back bases loaded walks in the bottom of the ninth inning as Wingate University defeated visiting Tusculum University 8-7 Friday in South Atlantic Conference baseball action at Ron Christopher Stadium.
The contest was a back-and-forth thriller as there were five ties and four lead changes as the Bulldogs drew eight walks in the game including four in a row with one out to rally to win the game.
With Wingate up 7-6 heading to the final frame, TU freshman Ryan Ortega led off with a single. He moved to second when Justin Millsaps was hit by a pitch and both moved up a base on Caleb Webster's bunt single. Omar Carreras drove in Ortega from third with his second sacrifice fly of the game and sixth of the year. Ben Scartz drove in the go ahead run with his double to bring home Millsaps.
With runners at second and third, Wingate pitcher Chad Harvey bounced back and recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
In the bottom of the frame, WU shortstop led off with a single to center field. Gavin Groppuso moved him to second with his sacrifice bunt. With one out, Sean Sullivan and Breon Ishmael drew walks from TU reliever Cooper Emery, who was in his third inning of work to load the bases. Haggerty came in to pinch hit and he walked to drive in the tying run. Mason Huffstickler took over for Emery, but he would walk Harris as Sullivan crossed the plate with the winning score.
Harvey (1-0) picked up the victory as he pitched the final two innings where he allowed two runs on three while and posted eight strikeouts. Emery suffered the loss to even his record at 1-1. He went 3.1 innings where he allowed three runs on two hits, five walks and a strikeout. The earned runs were his first surrendered this season for the Tusculum true freshman.
Wingate jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to Wyatt Hoffman's three-run homer.
Tusculum chipped away at the deficit with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Carreras was hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved to second on a balk. He would score on Scartz's base hit up the middle. TU made 3-2 when Scartz scored on Ty Smith's third double of the season.
Tusculum tied the game at 3-3 in the third as Millsaps led off with a double down the left field line. He moved to third base on Webster's fly out and scored from there on a Carreras' sacrifice fly.
TU took its first lead of the game at 4-3 in the top of the fourth as Avery Collins was hit by a pitch, moved to second on an error and later scored on Ortega's two-out single.
The Bulldogs answered with a run in the bottom of the inning thanks to Courville driving in Landon Meyer with the tying run on a bases loaded walk with two outs.
The Pioneers went up 5-4 in the fifth inning as Smith posted his second RBI hit of the day with his two-out single to score Max Schmarder. The Bulldogs took advantage of a Tusculum error in the fifth inning to tie the game for a third time at 5-5.
Wingate regained the lead at 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh when Groppuso led off with a walk and Ishmael followed later with a triple to right field. He would be stranded at third when Emery got out of the jam with a foul out and a ground out.
The Pioneers (4-11, 1-3 SAC) finished the game with a dozen hits including a 3-for-4 performance from Scartz and two-hit outings from Ortega, Millsaps and Smith. Wingate tallied 10 hits with Ismael and Hoffman each having two-out outings.
Carreras' six sacrifice flies are the most of any player in NCAA Division and are already tied for the seventh-most in a Tusculum season.
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series with Saturday's 1 p.m. doubleheader.
