Roberts Powers Wesleyan to Trio of USA South Wins

Sarah Roberts
Sarah Roberts

Staunton, Va. / Raleigh, N.C. - The Battling Bishop softball team won a trio of USA South contests over the past two days, downing Mary Baldwin on Monday before earning a two-game sweep of William Peace on Tuesday. Junior Sarah Roberts paved the way for Wesleyan with a 6-for-12 showing at the plate, including two doubles and seven RBIs over the four-game span.

At Mary Baldwin on Monday, the Bishops cruised to a 15-3 five-inning victory in the opener. Wesleyan tallied 13 hits as a team, led by a pair of two-run doubles by Roberts and a three-run blast by senior Paige Pritchett. Senior hurler Leanna Fann went the distance in the circle, striking out seven the in the process.

Unfortunately, MBC rebounded for a 7-4 win in game two.

Versus William Peace on Tuesday, Wesleyan dominated the opener 7-0. Fann (9-5) picked up her fifth straight win, scattering eight hits and striking out six en route to the shutout. Freshmen sisters Tiffany Manning and Brittany Manning gave the Bishops all the offense they would need in the top of the second with a trio of RBIs, the latter coming on a two-run double.

Wesleyan went on to secure the sweep with an 8-7 come-from-behind win in the nightcap. The Bishops erased a late 6-2 deficit by scoring six runs in their final two at-bats, giving sophomore Jasmine Edgren (7-6) the win in relief. The rally included a two-out, two-run single by senior Brittni Jones in the sixth, as well as RBI-singles by Roberts and junior Kendra Hoes in the seventh.

With the wins, Wesleyan moves to 17-15 on the season and 12-8 in conference play. The Battling Bishops will wrap up their regular season slate on Saturday and Sunday at Huntingdon and LaGrange, with all three teams battling for higher seeding in next week's USA South Conference Tournament.