ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - Defending USA South Conference champion N.C.
Wesleyan opened the 2010 league baseball slate with a 4-2 victory
over No. 8 Shenandoah University Saturday afternoon at Bauer Field.
The Bishops (4-3, 1-0 USA South) earned the victory with one run
on two hits in the third inning off of SU starter Greg Van Sickler
(1-1).
NCWC added two more in the fifth to chase Van Sickler - Zach
Alexander plated what proved to be the game-winning run when he
drew a bases loaded walk to send home Alexander Webb.
Webb had led off the frame with a walk, one of four that Van
Sickler issued on the day. He was tagged with the loss, his first
since the middle of last season (also to N.C. Wesleyan) after
allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Junior Bobby Stefanowicz
allowed just one hit in the final 3 2/3 and struck out one batter.
The Hornets, who have only been outside on four occasions since
starting practice in the middle of January, struck out 10 times
against two NCWC pitchers.
Max Knowles (2-0) had nine of those K's in the first eight
innings before turning it over to John Child for the ninth.
Child worked a clean ninth, sandwiching a strikeout around of
pair of line drive outs, to post his third save.
Senior Scott Van
Dusseldorp had one of Shenandoah's five hits and also scored a
run.
Freshman Keaton Neeb and
junior Jon
Holcomb each drove in a run, Neeb on a second inning single to
left center and Holcomb on a groundball in the seventh.
These two teams complete their weekend series with a 2 p.m.
contest Sunday.
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