Bishops Take Methodist Series with Dramatic Walk-Off in Extras

T.J. Wilkie
T.J. Wilkie

Rocky Mount, N.C. - Senior Ciro Norzagaray delivered a bases loaded RBI-single in the bottom of the tenth to give his Bishop baseball team a 2-1 win in Saturday's rubber game with rival Methodist University. The walk-off win capped a stellar 9-inning performance by junior hurler T.J. Wilkie, who scattered six hits and struck out ten Monarch batters on the day.

Wilkie allowed just one unearned run in the first inning, and the Bishops countered with an RBI-triple by James Lovett in the third that plated Norzagaray. The 1-1 score would hold through regulation, although Wesleyan looked to give Wilkie the victory in the bottom of the ninth. With pinch runner Will Graves pinch running at first, junior Tony Sanchez sent a double into the right-center gap. The Monarchs stayed alive with a 9-4-2 relay that cut down Graves at the plate.

With Wilkie's day finished with a no-decision, Joseph Borgerding (2-1) proceeded retire three of the four batters he faced in the tenth to set the stage for Norzagaray's heroics.

The two teams had previously opened the 3-game set on Friday at Bauer Field. After dropping the opener by a 9-2 score, the Bishops raced out to a 9-1 lead in game two thanks to a 7-run first inning. Methodist, however, began chipping away at the lead and trailed just 9-7 midway the seventh inning before the game was suspended due to darkness.

Play resumed on Saturday with Norzagaray taking the mound to toss a pair of scoreless inning en route to his fourth save of the season. Andrew Franklin (2-0) was credited with the win in relief. Offensively, nine different Bishops recorded hits, led by senior Kaelan Jacobs' 3-for-3 performance. 

The pair of victories secured a 20-win season for the Bishops, who are now 20-8 overall and 11-4 in USA South play. Wesleyan takes a break from league play on Tuesday with a non-conference contest at Barton College. First pitch is slated for 2:00pm.