Rocky Mount, N.C. - The Battling Bishop baseball team dropped a pair of close non-conference games on Thursday and Friday, falling to Lynchburg and Keystone by 5-3 and 3-2 scores, respectively, at Bauer Field. Friday's 3-2 loss to the Giants saw the two squads battle for 13 innings.
On Thursday versus Lynchburg, Wesleyan took a quick 1-0 lead on the first when senior Andre' Nichols drew a leadoff walk and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. The Hornets later answered in the fourth with a pair of unearned runs that put them up 2-1.
Senior Pat Laffin tied the game with an RBI-single in the Bishops' half of the frame, but Lynchburg scratched a run in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead that it would not relinquish. The Hornets added two insurance runs in the seventh, while the Bishops would only plate one more run on a J.J. Rodriquez RBI-groundout in the eighth that provided the 5-3 final.
Laffin and freshman Brad Guengerich each had a two hits for the Bishops, while Robby Costa suffered the loss on the mound. Costa tossed four complete, allowing only two hits but giving up three runs (one earned).
Versus Keystone on Friday, the Giants were also the beneficiary of two unearned runs as KC plated single scores in the third and sixth innigs.
Wesleyan had taken a 1-0 lead in the second when sophomore Hayden Williams singled to center, stole second and later scored on a two-out RBI-single by freshman Ricardo Ciuffetelli. The Bishops climbed back on top in the fourth when Tyler Clark singled, stole second and was plated by a costly throwing error on the mound.
Tied at 2-2, the two teams battled through six scoreless innings before Keystone was able to plate the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the 13th inning.
Junior Jake Alexander led the Bishops offensively with a 3-for-5 showing at the plate, while freshman Hatteras Brooks suffered the loss on the mound. Despite a solid outing, starting pitcher Shane Flynn received a no-decision after going 6.1 innings, allowing no earned runs on four hits and striking out 10.
Wesleyan (10-12) returns to USA South play on Saturday and Sunday when the Bishops host a two-game set with Shenandoah University. Both games are slated to begin at 1:00pm at Bauer Field.