(ROCKY MOUNT, NC) - The 2023 USA South Baseball Tournament best-of-three championship series is through its first game on the campus of N.C. Wesleyan as the top-seeded Battling Bishops used eight quality innings from starting pitcher Payne Stolsworth to take game one, 9-2, over third-seeded William Peace.

N.C. Wesleyan took the lead with two runs in the third inning thanks to a Davie Morgan run batted in and a Pacer error. The Battling Bishops would add two more runs in the sixth inning, three additional in the seventh inning, and two more for good measure in the eighth inning.

Alex Moskal was the lone Battling Bishop to garner two hits while Morgan led the team with two RBI. 

The second and, if necessary, third games will again take place at N.C. Wesleyan tomorrow, Saturday, May 12th, with the Battling Bishops needing one victory to claim the program's eighth USA South tournament title in their history and first since 2009.