Williford's blast lifts Battling Bishops to 4-1 win over Lynchburg

Rocky Mount, NC - In Thursday afternoon baseball action, senior Luke Williford (pictured) blasted a three-run homerun in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift his Battling Bishop baseball squad to a 4-1 win over Lynchburg College at Bauer Field. The homer, his first of the season, broke a 1-1 tie and helped sophomore lefty Max Knowles secure his second straight complete game victory. With the win, Wesleyan moves to 4-9 the season, while the Hornets now stand at 7-4 overall.

Both teams plated a run in the first inning as Lynchburg's David Gaines opening up the scoring with a solo blast to left-center. NCWC answered in the bottom of the frame with a Justin Batts RBI-single to right that plated Daniel Moore.

The game remained tied at 1-1 for the next seven innings, but the two teams went about the pitcher's dual in very different ways; Knowles would scatter just two hits during the span, while LC used seven different hurlers to preserve the tie.

Despite getting runners on, the Bishops failed to tally that elusive "big" hit until Williford launched his two-out homer in the bottom of the eighth.  Knowles (2-0) did the rest by shutting the door in the ninth, finishing with eight strikeouts and no walks on the day.

Travis Beausoleil, Justin Tuck, and Joel Creef each had two hits apiece for Wesleyan, which has now won two out of its last three contests.

The Bishops open up USA South play this weekend when Christopher Newport visits Rocky Mount for a two-game set. Game one is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday followed by game two at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.

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