Rocky Mount, N.C. - In USA South baseball action, junior Ricardo Ciuffetelli blasted a solo homerun in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift his Battling Bishops to a 13-12 win over Ferrum College at Bauer Field on Saturday. Wesleyan had previously dropped the opener by a 4-2 score, setting up Sunday's rubber game that was won by the Panthers 9-2.

In Saturday's opener, the Bishops went up 2-0 after plating single runs in the second and fourth innings. Ferrum answered with a two-run blast by Justin Cox in the fifth that tied the score, and the Panthers went on to scratch two in the ninth for the 4-2 final.

NCWC starter Ryan Grant got a no-decision, allowing a pair of runs (both unearned) on five hits with five strikeouts over six complete. Offensively, Luis Palencia and Ciro Norzagaray had two hits apiece for the Bishops, who tallied ten hits as a team.

Game two was a back-and-forth affair with the two teams combining for 25 runs on 26 hits and 10 errors. Wesleyan entered the eighth down 10-7 but plated five runs on just one hit, thanks to three walks, two errors and a hit batsman.  The Bishops, however, were unable to close out the game in the ninth, allowing the Panthers to knot the game at 12-12 with a pair of runs.

Two innings later, the stage was set for Ciuffetelli's heroics. Leading off the inning, the Venezuela native promptly deposited the first pitch he saw over the left field fence, igniting a Bishop celebration at home plate. The homerun was the first of his career.

Freshman Kani Upshur went 3-for-3 with a trio of RBIs to lead NCWC at the plate. Norzagaray also drove in three runs and picked up the win on the mound, while junior J.J. Rodriguez finished 3-for-4 with a run scored.

Unfortunately, Sunday's rubber game proved to be all Panthers (13-5, 10-2 USA South) as the Bishops surrendered nine runs over the first five innings. All nine runs were unearned after a series of seven fielding errors continuously extended Ferrum's at-bats. Wesleyan managed to plate single runs in the fifth and eighth to secure the 9-2 final. Senior Alexis Rodriguez and Tyler Clark each drove in runs for the Bishops. 

Wesleyan (5-14-1, 2-9 USA South) is slated to host a two-game set with Earlham College on Monday and Tuesday at Bauer Field. Weather permitting, both games will begin at 3:00pm.