Rocky Mount, N.C. - It was a very good day at N.C. Wesleyan College as the Battling Bishops welcomed area kids to their spring Youth Day, then combined to go a perfect 6-0 in USA South play in baseball, softball, and tennis. Saturday's festivities included free t-shirts, face-painting, give-aways, a bouncy house and more as the Bishops made several new fans along the way!
BASEBALL
The Battling Bishops made it two in a row over league opponent William Peace University with an 8-6 win on Saturday. Brad Pennington, Trey Croom, and Logan Andrews each drove in two runs to pace the offense, while Chris Sullivan picked up the win in relief after tossing a scoreless 1 2/3 innings out of the pen. Pennington also recorded the final out of the ninth to earn his first save of the season. The victory came on the heels of Friday's 6-0 victory to open the series. NCWC hurler Nate Gardner tossed a complete-game shutout with a career-high 15 strikeouts, with Pennington, Croom, and Max Johnson all going deep to back him on offense.
SOFTBALL
Wesleyan's softball team moved into first place in the East Division standings with a two-game sweep of USA South foe Ferrum College by 4-2 and 5-4 scores. Freshman Beth Braswell went the distance in the opener, allowing a pair of runs on nine hits with five strikeouts. Offensively, she helped her own cause by going 2-for-3 with an RBI. The finale saw Logan Lowery take a no-hitter into the sixth inning before holding on for the one-run win. Wesleyan's bats chased previously unbeaten Panther hurler Courtney Rudd after plating four runs in the first two innings. Kaitlyn Checkan provided the big blow with a two-run homer in the second, while her solo shot in the fourth proved to be the eventual gamewinner. The Panthers advanced the tying and winning runs to second and third in their final at-bat, but Shelby Godwin ended the game with a strikeout to secure her second save of the season.
MEN'S TENNIS
The Battling Bishop men's tennis team rolled to a pair of 9-0 league sweeps versus Greensboro College. In the first match, the Bishops surrendered only one game in doubles and two in singles en route to the dominating win. Wesleyan proceeded to tally its fourth straight shutout in similar fashion, dropping just a single game in the match. Ioannis Brokakis and Roberto Puig each went 2-0 in singles action on the day, while doubles play saw the duo of Aditya Iyer/J.D. Telles post a pair of 8-0 wins.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Wesleyan's women also cruised to a 9-0 sweep in conference tennis action versus the Pride. The Bishops posted a trio of 8-0 victories in doubles play, then tallied six straight-set wins in singles. NCWC dropped just one game at seeds #2 through #5, while top-seeded Florencia Sorrentino was a 7-5, 6-1 winner at #1.
All four teams return to action at home on Sunday, beginning with softball at noon versus Mary Baldwin on Parent's Day at Edge Field. Men's and women's tennis also kick off league matches at noon versus Averett at the Slick Family Foundation Tennis Center, while baseball hosts William Peace at 2:00pm at Bauer Field. Women's tennis wraps up the weekend versus Methodist at 4:00pm.
Be sure to check out www.ncwcsports.com for the the latest scores, news, and stats!