Baseball | 2/10/2013 7:44:00 PM

Box Score LAGRANGE, Ga. -- Brandon Thigpen threw six strong innings in his first start of the season and added a pair of RBIs at the plate as the Methodist baseball team salvaged the finale of a three-game set at LaGrange, 7-5, on Sunday afternoon at Cleaveland Field.
 
Thigpen went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs (2 ER) on 10 hits and two walks with three strikeouts to earn his first win of the season. He also went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored to lead the Monarchs (3-2, 1-2 USA South).
 
LaGrange struck first, taking a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Jim Reed's bases-loaded single with nobody out. The Panthers (2-2, 2-1 USA South) were in position to add to their lead with runners on the corner and just one out. However, Thigpen induced a pair of fielder's-choice groundouts, including one he fielded himself and threw to home plate for out number two, to keep LaGrange from adding to its lead.
 
Will Sutton pulled the Monarchs to within 2-1 in the fourth when he singled home Tyler Younger, who had walked and stolen second. MU then added three runs in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. Steven Kirby led off with a single and then stole second. Stephen Nalls sacrificed Kirby over to third and he came in to score on a Panther fielding error. Thigpen followed with a run-scoring double and Ray Lanners added an RBI-single.
 
The Monarchs padded their lead in the sixth inning on a Chris Power single that scored Kirby and a Thigpen sacrifice fly that plated Stephen Nalls. The Panthers answered with a unearned run in the bottom of the frame to make it a 6-3 ballgame.
 
Methodist added an unearned run of its own in the eighth inning for a 7-3 lead.
 
LaGrange mounted a rally in the ninth inning as Cody Muren led off with a single then came all the way around to score on Josh Shiver's double to make it 7-4. Shiver advanced to third on Brent Kinsey's groundout, and scored on a groundout by Blake Schuck. After Kyle Nerbonne reached on a two-out error, Mikie Morrison got Miles Lee to line out to first to end the game.
 
Morrison picked up the save with 3.0 innings of relief. He allowed two runs on two hits. Drew Williamson was tagged with the loss for the Panthers. He surrendered four runs (2 ER) on five hits and four walks with a strikeout in just 4.1 innings.
 
Kirby finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a stolen base for the Monarchs. Nalls was 2-for-4 with a run scored and Chris Power finished 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases.
 
Muren, Schuck and Brandon Espinosa all had two hits for the Panthers. Reed finished 1-for-3 with two runs driven in.
 
The Monarchs begin a three-game series with USA South-foe N.C. Wesleyan on Friday evening at 5:00 pm.