Pearson pitches Bishops to series split with Methodist

Fayetteville, NC - After dropping Saturday's game by a 7-3 score, the Bishop baseball squad of North Carolina Wesleyan rebounded with a 4-1 win over Methodist University on Sunday to earn a crucial USA South split with the Monarchs.  Senior hurler Ben Pearson (pictured) led the way for the 7th-ranked Bishops by turning in a complete game performance that saw him move to 4-1 on the season. Wesleyan is now 12-4 overall, 3-1 in conference action.  Methodist currently stands at 7-4 on the season, 2-2 in league play.

On Saturday, the Bishops took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI-double by Mark Wooten in the first.

The Monarchs, however, responded with four runs in the bottom half of the frame that would prove to be enough for the win.  Junior Kyle Eudy delivered a two-run double to right field, while Seth Kivett connected on a two-run single of his own. 

In the second, the Monarchs picked up where they left off with hits by Jonathan Spivey and Eudy.  Billy Quinn's single to left scored Spivey, and a sacrifice fly to right later plated Eudy to give MU a 6-1 advantage.  The Monarchs extended that lead to 7-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly. 

The Bishops' bats came alive in the seventh as Wes Means and Jason Webb each recorded RBI-singles. Monarch freshman Fred Geisinger then came on in relief to finish the final 2.1 innings without giving up a hit, securing the 7-3 final.

For Methodist, Kivett finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Spivey went 2-for-3 with an RBI.  Wooten went 2-for-4 to pace the Bishops offensively.

MU's Kurt Kelly earned the win on the mound, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits in 6.2 innings of work.  NCWC's Blake Rice suffered the loss after going seven complete innings and giving up seven runs on 11 hits.

The tables turned on Sunday as the Monarchs scored first only to see the Bishops ride a four-run sixth inning to the 4-1 win.  Pearson tossed a gem, going the distance and allowing just one run (unearned) on seven hits.  He also struck out eight and walked one.

MU's lone run came in the second when Scott Russell reached first on an error and advanced to second on a single to center.  Brad Davis' sacrifice bunt Russell to third, and he later scored on a Kivett sac-fly to right to give the Monarchs a 1-0 lead.

Junior pitcher Chris Toth held the Bishops scoreless through the first five innings and gave up only three hits during that span. 

But NCWC's Matt Smith and Wooten got things going for Wesleyan in the top of the sixth with singles through the right side.  Smith advanced to third on Wooten's single, and catcher Chris Masters then reached on an error that scored Smith.  The Monarchs committed two more errors in the inning that led to three unearned runs.  The 4-1 lead proved to be more than enough for Pearson.

The Monarchs had runners on second and third in the eighth and managed to load the bases in the ninth but could not convert another run.  

Smith finished 3-for-5 and Luke Williford 2-for-5 to lead the Bishops at the plate.  Toth took the loss for Methodist after going 6.2 innings and allowing four runs, all unearned.

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