For Immediate Release - 3/5/09 - #226
Hornet Baseball Falls at North Carolina Wesleyan 4-1
ROCKY MOUNT, NC - Bishop starter Max Knowles tossed a complete-game, three hitter as the North Carolina Wesleyan College Bishops knocked off the No. 14 Lynchburg baseball team 4-1 Thursday afternoon from Bauer Field.
Knowles was on all day, as the sophomore left-hander went all nine innings, scattering just three hits while striking out eight Hornet batters. LC's lone run came in the top of the first on a David Gaines, Jr. (Lynchburg, VA/Jefferson Forest) homer, his fifth of the season.
NC Wesleyan (4-9) knotted the score in the bottom half of the first, as Justin Batts drove in Daniel Moore with an RBI single. Lynchburg (7-4) managed only two hits the rest of the way, a Keegan Ashbee (Middleton, DE/Caravel Academy) single in the fifth and a Kyle Bradley (Brookneal, VA/William Campbell) single in the ninth.
The Bishops scored the big blow in the bottom of the eighth, as Luke Williford delivered a two-out, three-run homer off freshman Robbie Garrett (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) for the deciding margin of victory.
The Hornets got solid middle relief, as Conner Thompson (Solomons, MD/Reservoirs), Justin Ferrell (Red Oak, VA/Randolph-Henry), Josh Youngman (Chesterfield, VA/Manchester) and Michael Straub (Falls Church, VA/George Mason) all tossed scoreless innings for Lynchburg. With his first inning homer, Gaines, Jr. upped his hitting streak to 15 games, dating back to last season.
Justin Tuck finished two-for-four for the Bishops, while Joel Creef also notched two hits in four plate appearances. Travis Beausoleil was also two-for-three for the hosts.
Lynchburg will jump into conference play Saturday as the Wasps of Emory & Henry College come to town for a doubleheader at noon on Fox Field.
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