Williams powers Bishops to 14-7 league win over Ferrum

Rocky Mount, NC - Senior Ted Williams blasted his first two homeruns of the season on Friday afternoon, leading his North Carolina Wesleyan baseball squad to a 14-7 USA South win over Ferrum College at Bauer Field. Williams (pictured) drove in six runs on the day for the 24th-ranked Bishops, who improve to 17-7-1 with the win, 4-3 in conference play. Ferrum now stands at 5-10 on the season, 2-5 in league play.

Wesleyan plated at least one run in each of the first five innings, beginning with a four-spot in the first. Justin Batts drove in the game’s first run with a sac-fly RBI, while Justin Rahm followed with an RBI-double. Williams then connected on his first homer of the day, a two-run shot to left-center.

After the Panthers broke through with a run in the second, the Bishops tacked on two more in their half of the frame as Daniel Moore and Travis Beausoleil each recorded an RBI.

Down 6-1, Ferrum managed three runs in third to cut the lead to 6-4. Wesleyan answered with its seventh run of the game in the bottom of the inning, but FC scored two more in the fourth to get as close as 7-6. Five different Panthers drove in runs during that span.

Williams, however, extended the Bishops’ lead with a three-run bomb in the fourth. NCWC went on to score four more in the fifth to go up 14-6 and cruise to the 14-7 final.

Jonathan Shearon (3-0) earned the win in relief for the Bishops, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing just one run on four hits. Lincoln Garner took the loss for Ferrum.

Offensively, the Bishops’ recorded 19 hits on the day to Ferrum’s 14. Williams finished 4-for-5 and Moore 4-for-4. Rahm and Chris Pecora also had three hits apiece.

Kevin Marshall paced the Panthers with a 3-for-4 performance.

Wesleyan wraps up its league series with the Panthers on Saturday. Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Bauer Field.