Rocky Mount, N.C. - The North Carolina Wesleyan baseball team honored its 2012 senior class on Saturday afternoon prior to the Bishops' regular season finale with Methodist, capping a three-game homestand that had begun on Thursday. Head Coach Charlie Long recognized Kaleb Wessell, Shane Flynn, Zach Moore, Pat Laffin, Andre' Nichols, Robby Costa and Justin Shearin prior to the contest, which saw the Bishops drop a second-straight one-run decision to the Monarchs, 6-5.
Down 3-1 in the fifth, NCWC junior Tyler Clark drove in two runs with a single to left-center to tie the score. Methodist went up 6-3 in the seventh, but the Bishops answered with single runs in the seventh and eighth on RBIs by Laffin and Nichols. The two, in fact, combined for seven of Wesleyan's 12 hits on the day.
The Bishops looked to tie the game in the ninth when junior Jake Alexander singled to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second by a Clark bunt. Laffin followed with a sharp single to right, but Alexander was gunned down at home by MU's Brandon Thigpen to secure the 6-5 Methodist win.
Previously on Friday, the Monarchs (19-16, 6-6 USA South) won by a 3-2 score as junior hurler Chris Perry (5-1) went the distance, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out 12.
Freshman pitcher Hatteras Brooks (2-3) was nearly equal to the task, giving up two earned runs on seven hits over eight complete. Wesleyan's offense was highlighted by freshman Stephen Machin's first collegiate homerun.
The pair of one-run losses came on the heels of a 12-inning, 10-10 tie versus Stevenson University on Thursday. Wesleyan erased a 10-5 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to force extras. Machin led the squad with three hits on the day, while he and sophomore Hayden Williams each drove in two runs.
Wesleyan (15-23-1, 2-10 USA South) will now prepare for next week's USA South Conference Tournament in Burlington, N.C. The 7th-seeded Bishops will take on 2nd-seeded Shenandoah University at 4:30pm on Thursday. NCWC and SU split their regular season meetings.
To view the official tourney website, visit http://www.usasouth.net/championships/bsb/index.