Baseball Uses Long Ball to Power Past VA Wesleyan

Tyson Bass, courtesy Carl Lewis
Tyson Bass, courtesy Carl Lewis

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The NC Wesleyan College Baseball team used 16 hits, two homers, three doubles, and a triple to power past Virginia Wesleyan 9-5 on the road Tuesday afternoon.

The Bishops four hitters at the top of the lineup combined to go 12 for 20 on the afternoon. Sophomore 3B Jackson Hobbs led the Bishops with four hits going 4 for 5 with a double and three runs scored while sophomore DH Blake Scott went 3 for 5 with two doubles and two-run homer to right off the foul pole as he drove in four runs. The home run was Scott's 2nd of the year as he is now hitting .323 with 33 RBIs.

Junior 2B Davie Morgan then went 3 for 5 with a triple and 2 runs scored while leadoff hitting shortstop Tyson Bass tallied two hits with a home run and 2 RBIs. Bass' 8th home run ties him with Hobbs for the team lead.

NCWC got off to a 2-0 lead in the first on Scott's RBI double and LF Zach Lyon's sacrifice fly. The Bishops then made it 6-1 in the third on Bass' solo shot, Hobbs' RBI double and Scott's home run. VWU (15-14) would then get two more in the third off freshman starter Dylan Cheeley to get to within 6-3. However, NC Wesleyan would add another run in the sixth on a Bass sacrifice before going up 9-3 in the 8th on an RBI double from Scott and RBI groundout from Lyon. RF Alex Moskal also recorded a two-hit game in the win.

The Bishop bullpen would then do the rest holding the Marlins to just two runs on just one hit over the final five innings to clinch the win. Cheeley (1-0) went 4 innings allowing just 3 runs on 6 hits with a walk and a career-high of 8 strikeouts. Sophomore reliever Payne Stolsworth then struck out the side in a scoreless 5th inning while junior reliever Clayton Gilmore and freshman rookie of the week Hunter Hill also threw scoreless innings. Hill closed out the win in the 9th with two strikeouts.

The Bishops now improve to 20-14 on the year and will next return home to host Mary Baldwin on Saturday at 3 pm.