HICKORY, N.C. - The Newberry College baseball team dropped a 12-3 decision to Wingate University in an elimination game of the 2008 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament on Friday afternoon at Bears Field on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne College. Wingate, seeded sixth, improves to 20-33 and will advance to Saturday action at L.P. Franz Stadium. Newberry, the fifth seed, falls to 20-27.

Wingate junior Nick Siega-Riz (Clemmons, N.C.) led off with a single, and came around to score the first of his three runs on the day on a sacrifice fly by Heath Weatherford (Rockingham, N.C.) as Wingate took a 1-0 lead after one frame. Siega-Riz would belt a two-run homer to push the Bulldog lead to 4-0 after two. Siega-Riz would collect five hits and five RBIs in the game.

Wingate began to put the game away in the fifth as Matt Crump (Matthew, N.C.) hit a two-run shot in a three-run frame that made the score 8-1. Siega-Riz completed his 5-for-5 day with a RBI double in a four-run seventh that pushed the lead to 12-1.

Casio Grider (Hephzibah, Ga.), who had two hits for Newberry, doubled home a run for the Indians in the fifth.  John Kirkland (Orlando, Fla.), who also had two hits, had the other RBI for Newberry with a single in the eighth.

Tyler Almond (Oakboro, N.C.) tossed eight strong innings for Wingate and improved to 4-3.  He allowed three runs, two earned, on just five hits with seven strikeouts.  Scott Kelly (Marston, N.C.) also enjoyed a perfect day at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance. Crump and Aaron Knowles (Hope Town, Bahamas) each added three hits.

The Indians' next game is on Tuesday, when they host Augusta State University at 6 p.m.