Posted: Feb 18, 2012
Rocky Mount, N.C. - The Battling Bishop baseball team picked up three wins over the weekend, hosting a four-game set with Polytechnic Institute of New York in Rocky Mount. Wesleyan got stellar pitching performances from Kaleb Wessell and Hatteras Brooks on Friday night en route to 15-0 and 7-2 wins, while the Bishops bounced back from a 1-0 loss on Saturday with a 22-4 victory in the series finale. NCWC is now 4-4 on the young season.
On Friday, Wessell (1-0) tossed a complete-game shutout, scattering four hits over seven innings and striking out 11. Junior Tyler Clark paced the Bishop offense with a 3-for-4 showing at the plate, which included three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Andre' Nichols, J.J. Rodriguez, Pat Laffin and Brad Guengerich chipped in two hits apiece.
The second half of Friday's twinbill saw Brooks (1-0) tally 10 Ks and allow just one hit over five complete. Offensively, James Johnson, Nichols, Rodriguez and Ricardo Ciuffetelli ripped a pair of hits each with Nichols driving in two.
In Saturday's opener, Polytech got a stellar outing from pitcher Nate Albers. He held the Bishops to just two hits over seven innings, striking out five en route to the shutout.
Wesleyan answered, however, with a 22-run explosion in the finale. Zach Moore led the way with three hits, four RBIs and two runs scored. Brandon Roberts (1-0) picked up the win in relief, tossing four scoreless innings and striking out five.
The Bishops continue their season-opening homestand on Monday when they host the University of Maine-Presque Isle at 2:30pm at Bauer Field.