Battling Bishops earn twinbill sweep of Emory & Henry

Rocky Mount, NC - In Wednesday afternoon baseball action, the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan moved to 14-5 on the season with a twinbill sweep of Emory & Henry at Bauer Field.  Wesleyan took game one by a 12-2 score as sophomore catcher Justin Batts went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and homerun.  Game two saw Bishop freshman hurler Doug Roenker throw the first complete game of his collegiate career in a 9-0 shutout.  With the two losses, the Wasps drop to 2-7 overall.

Wesleyan’s bats came alive early in the opener as the Bishops forged an 8-0 lead in the first two innings.  Joel Creef and Matt Smith both scored in the bottom of the first with Creef coming around on a Wasp error and Smith being plated by a Zollie Woodlief single.  NCWC’s six-run second was capped by Batts’ three-run homer to left.

Mark Wooten and Alex Lively picked up RBIs in the fourth and fifth innings as Wesleyan plated four more runs to increase its lead to 12-0.  The Wasps, however, avoided the shutout with two runs in the top of the seventh.  Will Freeland recorded an RBI-double to left and later scored on a Seth Hyder single to center.

Bishop starter Kyle Robertson earned the win on the mound, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings and scattering five hits.  The junior righty walked none and struck out three before being relieved by senior Matt Bryan.  Bryan finished the final 2.2 innings and both EHC runs on three hits.

Emory & Henry used six different pitchers with starter George Harrington suffering the loss.  Gavin Haynes and Freeland paced the Wasps offensely with two hits each.

Like Batts, Smith was 3-for-4 at the plate and scored three runs.  Creef and Wooten added two hits apiece for the Bishops, who ripped 12 hits as team. 

In game two, Wesleyan put up a five-spot in the second inning to take the early lead.  It proved to be more than enough for Roenker, who went the distance and scattered just six hits.  He walked one and struck out four.

Sophomore second baseman Wes Means delivered the big blow on offense when he deposited a three-run double into the corner in left in the second.  Wesleyan added four insurance runs in the fourth for the 9-0 final.

Matt Duffy was 2-for-3 to pace the Wasps on offense, while seven different Bishops had one hit in the game.  EHC again used six pitchers with Daniel Griggs taking the loss after allowing the five-run second inning (four earned).

Previously on Tuesday, the Bishops fell on the road at Virginia Wesleyan by an 11-8 score.  The Marlins jumped out to a 9-2 lead after five innings, and although the Bishops plated five runs in the sixth, it was too little to late as VWC out-scored NCWC 2-1 over the final three frames.

Ben Moore took the loss for the Bishops, throwing four complete innings and giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits.  Offensively, Justin Batts was 2-for 5 with five RBIs.

Wesleyan returns to action on Thursday when the Bishops travel to Hampden-Sydney College.  Game time is slated for 3:00 p.m.

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