Lyon's 3-hit Game and Late Rally Not Enough in Loss

Zach Lyon, by Carl Lewis
Zach Lyon, by Carl Lewis

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - The NC Wesleyan College baseball team fell short in their comeback bid falling to non-conference foe CNU (Va.) 6-3 at home on Tuesday afternoon.

Wesleyan was led by outfielder Zach Lyon and his three hits and 2 RBIs but the Bishop;s three-run rally in the 8th inning was not enough.

CNU scored one run each in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th innings off Bishop freshman starter Dylan Cheeley. Cheeley, though, hung tough all game as he lasted 5 and 1/3 innings before being knocked out of the game in the 6th inning after allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits on 3 walks and a season-high 7 strikeouts.

Junior reliever Clayton Gilmore then came in for Cheeley in the 6th and got out of the two-on one-out jam by getting two big outs. However, CNU added two more insurance runs off Gilmore in 7th with back-to-back sacrifice flies to put the Captains up 6-0. Sophomore reliever Payne Stolsworth replaced Gilmore in the 8th and finished the game with two solid scoreless innings striking out two and allowing just one hit.

In the Bishop 8th inning, an RBI double from junior 2B Davie Morgan brought home freshman OF Cord Butler while Lyon's clutch two-run double trimmed CNU's lead in half to 6-3. However, Wesleyan could not push across any more runs in the defeat. Junior catcher Jaiden Barker also recorded an extra-base hit as well.

The Bishops fall to 10-9 overall while CNU improves to 15-5.

Wesleyan will now remain home to host Pfeiffer at 3 PM on Friday as they open a three-game conference series with the Falcons.