Rocky Mount, N.C. / Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Bishop baseball and softball teams each took part in non-conference doubleheaders on Wednesday, combining for a trio of wins in their respective doubleheaders.
In baseball, Wesleyan hosted its final home games of the 2017 season and did so in style with a twinbill sweep of St. Andrews University. Game one saw NCWC tally a 1-0 win, while game two ended in a 6-1 victory for the Bishops.
The opener was a pitcher's dual between Wesleyan sophomore J.D. Makauskas and SAU hurler Davis O'Brian. Makauskas got out of jams in each of the four first frames with inning-ending double plays, while O'Brian escaped a bases loaded jam of his own in the first. Bishop freshman Brad Pennington provided the only offense of the game with solo homerun to left in the fifth inning that proved to be the difference.
Makauskas (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, scattering five hits over six complete. Senior Joseph Borgerding pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to notch his third save.
In game two, NCWC jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a two-run single in the first by junior Caleb Narron. Pennington drove in the Bishops' next three runs with an RBI-double in the second and two-run single of his own in the fourth, later scoring to provide the 6-1 final.
The six runs were more than enough for senior Richard Harrell, who moved to 2-1 on the season after giving up one run on six hits over five innings of work. Freshmen Jackson Moseley and Noah Shrock closed out the win tossing a scoreless sixth and seventh, respectively.
The Bishops are now 21-12 overall heading into this weekend's final conference series at Piedmont College. Game one of the 3-game set is slated for 7:00pm Friday night.
In softball, Wesleyan traveled to Salem College, splitting a pair of non-conference contests on the road. After dropping the opener 5-1, the nightcap saw NCWC bounce back for a 13-2 victory in five innings.
Game one saw the Bishops out-hit the Spirits 8-4, but two unearned runs and a timely 2-run homer proved too much for Wesleyan to overcome in the 5-1 defeat. Game two, however, ended with Wesleyan plating a season-high 13 runs on 14 hits. Junior Alicia Burns and senior Tiffany Manning led the way at the plate, combining to go 5-for-7 with six RBIs and four runs scored. Juinor Peyton Hyler and Sarah Bowyer also ripped two hits apiece, while Brittany Manning drove in a pair.
Sophomore Shelby Godwin upped her record to 7-6 in the circle, allowing two runs on four hits in the complete game effort.
Wesleyan is now 16-16 on the season and will also complete the USA South portion of its schedule this weekend. NCWC travels to William Peace on Saturday, followed by a Senior Day match-up with Greensboro at noon on Sunday at Edge Field.