The outstanding season for the North Carolina Wesleyan University baseball team is over.
The Bishops pulled a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, but a strikeout for the final out enabled No. 1 seed Christopher Newport to escape with a 6-5 victory in the winner-take-all championship game of the Newport News Regional in the NCAA Division III Tournament on Monday in Newport News, Va.
The No. 1 seeded Captains (29-10) now advance to the super regionals later this week, while the No. 3 seed Bishops finished their season 36-13 overall.
Wesleyan trailed 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth but got within two on a solo home run by Tyson Bass. Jackson Hobbs singled but was erased on a fielder’s choice by Davie Morgan.
After a walk to Javier Quintana, pinch-hitter Jackson Ellyson singled to right field to bring home Morgan, making it a one-run deficit with one out and still two runners on base.
After CNU brought in Brandon Cassedy on the mound, Colin Scoggins flied out to right field and Maison Nance struck out swinging as the rally, and season, came to a halt.
Looking to ride the momentum of Saturday’s 6-1 in the first championship game, Wesleyan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of the “if necessary” game as Drifton Padgett singled, advanced to third on a double to left by Bass and both scored on a two-out single by Quintana.
The Captains took the lead for good with five runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 5-2 advantage. Scott Crosson had a two-run single, Justin Liakos added an RBI single and a fielding error allowed the other two runs to score.
Wesleyan responded with a run in the fifth when Hobbs doubled to right center and scored on a single down the left field line by Jaiden Barker.
CNU got that run back in the top of the eighth on a single by Liakos and a throwing error to make it 6-3.
Wesleyan made four errors to two for CNU, and the Bishops outhit them 11-9 and left 12 runners on base while the Captains stranded seven runners.
Crosson and Liakos had two hits each for CNU.
Bass and Hobbs led the Bishops with two hits each. Nance and Alex Moskal added hits in addition to Padgett, Morgan, Quintana, Barker and Ellyson.
Drake Hobgood suffered the loss on the mound for Wesleyan. He worked 3.2 innings and allowed five hits and five runs (three earned) with three walks and five strikeouts. Nathanael Volk pitched 4.1 frames and gave up four hits and one unearned run, and Dylan Cheeley struck out one of the four batters he faced in an inning.
Wesleyan forced the “if necessary” game with Christopher Newport by defeating the Captains 6-1 in game one of the Newport News Regional Championship on Sunday afternoon.
The victory was the Bishops’ second win of the day on Sunday, as they ousted Immaculata 4-0 in an elimination game on Sunday morning.
Wesleyan (36-12), the No. 3 seed, opened the double-elimination tournament with a 6-0 victory over No. 2 seed Scranton in its first game on Friday.
Cord Butler (12-0) was stellar on the mound for the Bishops, as he allowed just three hits and no runs with 13 strikeouts and just two walks in a complete-game effort.
Morgan’s sacrifice fly plated Bass for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Hobbs added a two-run double in the third and later scored on a double by Moskal to make it 4-0.
A sacrifice fly from Blake Scott brought home Bass in the fifth frame and Morgan scored on a sacrifice fly by Scoggins in the eighth to complete the Bishops scoring.
Bass, Hobbs and Moskal paced Wesleyan with two hits each.
The Bishops then lost 7-2 on Saturday to No. 1 seed Christopher Newport, sending Wesleyan to the elimination bracket.
Wesleyan scored its only two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI single by Morgan and a throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt.
Chandler Padgett (7-2) suffered the loss on the mound as he worked 5.2 innings and allowed four hits and four runs (three earned) with five strikeouts and three walks. Cheeley gave up five hits and three earned runs with five walks and three strikeouts in 3.1 innings of relief.
Hobbs and Morgan led the Bishops with two hits each.
Facing elimination, Wesleyan took a 1-0 lead on Immaculata (27-18) on a solo home run by Barker in the top of the fourth inning. Barker then doubled home Quintana and Bass in the eighth inning, and an RBI single from Drifton Padgett in the ninth plated Scoggins with the final run.
Andrew Tubb (6-1) was outstanding on the mound for the Bishops. He pitched a complete-game shutout with three strikeouts and just one walk over 106 pitches.
Wesleyan took a 1-0 lead over CNU in the top of the fourth inning of Sunday’s game on an RBI single from Scoggins. The Bishops added three more runs in the top of the sixth on an RBI single from Drifton Padgett, a sacrifice fly from Seth Jones and an error which brought in Quintana.
Wesleyan extended its advantage in the top of the ninth inning with an RBI single from Quintana and a bases-loaded walk to Scoggins.
CNU (28-10) scored its lone run in the bottom half of the ninth on an RBI single from Zach Zdarnowski.
Preston Workman started on the mound for NCWU and worked 4.1 innings, allowing seven hits. Marc Dennunzio added 3.2 frames in relief and surrendered no hits and Cullen Davis closed it out in the ninth.
Quintana led the Bishops with three hits while Scoggins added two.
The teams combined for 25 runners left on base (CNU 14, NCWU 11). The Captains made six errors to none for the Bishops.
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