Baseball | 2/15/2013 6:55:00 PM

Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist baseball team survived a late-inning scare from N.C. Wesleyan in earning a 5-4 win over the Battling Bishops in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday evening.
 
In game one, Michael Inman allowed two runs and struck out seven over 7.0 innings and Brandon Thigpen homered among two hits as the Monarchs hung on to beat the Battling Bishops, 5-4.
 
The Monarchs tallied single runs in each of the first three innings to stake Inman to a 3-0 lead. In the first inning it was Chris Power with a sacrifice fly to center for an early 1-0 lead. Cody Molosky's RBI groundout in the second inning made it 2-0 and Tyler Younger added an RBI single in the third for the 3-0 advantage.
 
That 3-0 lead stood until the top of the seventh inning when N.C. Wesleyan pulled to within a run at 3-2 following James Kornegay's pinch-hit, two-out, two-run double to left field. The Monarchs gained a little bit of breathing room in the bottom of the frame when Thigpen hit a one-out solo shot to right center for a 4-2 lead.
 
However, in the ninth inning, the Battling Bishops scored a pair of unearned runs off Daniel Royer, the last coming on a Jason Riley sacrifice fly, which tied the game at 4-4.
 
In the bottom of the frame, Power singled with one out and then stole second base. NCWC elected to intentionally walk Thigpen, giving the Monarchs runners on first and second with nobody out. Following a fly out to center by Matt Jack, Ray Lanners laced a two-out single to left center that scored Power and lifted MU to the 5-4 win.
 
Inman finished with two runs allowed on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts, but earned his third no-decision in as many starts. The win went to Michael Judge, who recorded three outs in the top of the ninth.
 
Power, Thigpen, Lanners and Steven Kirby all finished with a pair of hits for MU and five different players drove in one run apiece. For Thigpen, the homer was the first for any member of the Monarchs this season.
 
Daniel Carroll took the loss for NCWC, allowing one run on one hit, a walk and two strikeouts in 1.1 innings of relief. James Johnson led the Battling Bishops at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

In game two, NCWC's Jake Swartout threw 7.0 inning of one-run ball in helping the Battling Bishops to a 4-1 win. Swartout allowed the one run on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

Macon Hammond was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored to lead NCWC, which built a 3-0 lead after three innings of play. MU pulled within 3-1 in the fourth inning on Will Sutton's sacrifice fly, but the Battling Bishops countered with another run in the fifth for the final margin.

Judge, the winner of game one, started game two and was saddled with the loss. He allowd three runs (2 ER) on three hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts in 3.0 innings. Josh Ayers relieved him and went 6.0 innings in relief, giving up one run on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

Kirby and Lanners were both 2-for-3 with a walk for the Monarchs, and Cody Molosky was 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases.