Softball | 3/11/2010 4:33:21 PM

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. - The Monarchs used Wednesday as a final day of preparation for the NFCA Challenge Fri-Sat. Methodist fell to Mount Union 8-3 before dropping a 17-5 game to Moravian.

Mount Union opened up a 7-0 lead through the first three innings before the Monarchs got on the board in the top of the fourth. Crystal Metzger led off with a double and scored on a RBI-single from Alex Winters. The Purple Raiders responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth before Methodist added a run in the sixth and seventh innings.

Metzger, Winters and Cortney Kerns went 2-for-3 on the day. Lysuelle Slaughter took the loss in the circle pitching the first two innings while Heather Anderson finished in relief.

In the second game of the day, Moravian took the 4-0 lead in the top of the first, but Methodist came right back to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. The Monarchs scored five runs on two hits while capitalizing on four defensive errors from Moravian.

The Greyhounds regained the lead in the second inning with three runs before taking the 8-5 lead in the third. Moravian kept up the high powered offensive with a run in the fifth, two in the sixth and six in the seventh to finish with the 17-5 win.

Kerns led the Monarchs at the plate hitting 2-for-3. Alex Bass took the loss for the Monarchs while Emily Beck, Slaughter and Anderson also spent time pitching.

The Monarchs will take on Mount Union and Ithaca on Friday.

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