Fayetteville, N.C. - North Carolina Wesleyan's softball team rode the strong pitching of Leanna Fann to a pair of wins at Methodist University's Early Bird Tournament over the weekend. The sophomore righty picked up victories over Stevenson and York (Pa.), while her only defeat came in a 2-0 extra inning loss to #8 Salisbury. Fann is now 3-1 on the season and her Bishops stand at 4-2 overall.

Wesleyan opened play on Friday, taking a 9-4 lead against Stevenson into the seventh inning. Inclement weather, however, suspended play, and the Bishops were not able to record the final three outs until Saturday morning. Fann went the distance, allowing just one earned run and striking out five.

Freshman Carla Matthews paced the Bishops with a 3-for-4 showing at the plate, while senior Meredith Mills and freshman Logan Tollison tallied two hits apiece. Mills, Amanda Warley and Kendra Hoes each had a pair of RBIs.

After dropping an 8-4 decision to a talented Piedmont squad later in the morning, Wesleyan rebounded with a stellar performance versus #8 Salisbury. In a true pitchers' dual, the two squads entered extra innings tied 0-0. Hoes was partly to thank for that after robbing the Sea Gulls of a homer in the fifth.

Playing under international tiebreak rules, the Gulls were able to plate two unearned runs in the eighth. After Wesleyan loaded the bases in the bottom half of the frame, SU was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam to keep its perfect record in tact.

Tollison provided the heroics in the tourney's final game versus York (Pa.), which again saw the Bishops go into extras. Tied 3-3 in the top of the 8th, the freshman blasted a grand slam homerun to left field, and NCWC would hold on for an eventual 7-4 win.

The Bishops continue play on Wednesday when they travel to Guilford College. The non-conference twinbill is slated for a 2:00pm start in Greensboro.