Rocky Mount, NC - The N.C. Wesleyan softball team improved to 21-13 on the season with a dominant sweep of visiting William Peace on Wednesday afternoon at Edge Field. Behind outstanding pitching and timely offense, the Bishops took game one in a 1-0 shutout before earning a thrilling 6-5 extra-inning victory in game two.
Game 1: N.C. Wesleyan 1, William Peace 0
Senior Morgan Aycock was lights out in the circle, tossing a complete-game shutout to lead the Bishops in the opener. Aycock (7-4) scattered just three hits over seven innings, striking out three and walking one in a crisp 78-pitch performance.
The game's lone run came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Savannah Bain stole home on a double steal that also saw Alexis Whitfield swipe second and advance to third on the throw.
Offensively, Ragan Holloman and Whitfield each doubled in the game, while Holloman also added a triple to her line. Wesleyan collected four hits overall and played tight defense to back Aycock's gem.
Game 2: N.C. Wesleyan 6, William Peace 5 (8 Innings)
Game two saw a bit more drama, as the Bishops rallied from an early 3-0 deficit and outlasted the Pacers in extra innings.
After tying the game with a three-run third inning, highlighted by an RBI walk from Holloman and a two-run single by Kyiah Simmons, Wesleyan grabbed a 5-3 lead in the fourth behind an RBI single from Skyler Walker and a sacrifice fly from Holloman.
William Peace would eventually tie it at 5-5 with unearned runs in the sixth and seventh, but the Bishops walked it off in the eighth. With one out and a runner on third, Walker reached on an error at first base, allowing Aleah Jones to score the game-winning run.
Walker was clutch at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI. Simmons added a 2-for-4 effort with two RBIs, while Jones crossed the plate twice.
On the mound, Addyson Romanczyk started and went 2.1 innings before Emily Humphrey tossed 4.2 frames in relief. Aycock returned to close the door, throwing a perfect eighth inning to earn her second win of the day and improve to 8-4 on the season.
Up Next:
Softball will travel to Mary Baldwin on Easter Weekend for a showdown with the Squirrels set for Saturday at 1:00 PM
