Softball | 2/24/2013 10:55:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist softball team won two of its three games on Sunday afternoon as it took part in the weather-shortened Methodist Early Bird Invitational.
 
The Monarchs' early-season tournament, cut down from two days to one day to rain, concluded with six games on Sunday afternoon played at both Monarch Field and at Lamon Street Park. Methodist opened with a 6-2 loss to Lynchburg in nine innings and followed that up with a 10-9 win in eight innings over Mary Washington, before closing out the night with a 4-1 win over Emory & Henry.
 
In the loss to Lynchburg, the Monarchs fell behind 1-0 in the fifth inning before Lindsay Tippett tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI double in the sixth inning. After neither team scored in the seventh or eighth innings, LC erupted for five runs in the top of the ninth inning, the big blow being a three-run double off the bat of Lexi Meeker that made it 6-1 in favor of the Hornets.
 
The Monarchs got a run back in the bottom of the frame when Ally Griffin drove in Katie Byrd with a fielder's choice, but a Monarch strikeout ended the contest. Tippett, Griffin and Kelsey Harrington were all 1-for-4 for the Monarchs, with Tippett and Griffin each adding an RBI.
 
Jessica Farmer started for the Monarchs and tossed 8.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with a pair of strikeouts. Amanda Rodriguez was saddled with the loss after allowing five runs (4 ER) on four hits and a walk in 1.0 inning of relief.
 
In their second game, the Monarchs withstood a late charge from Mary Washington to eke out a 10-9 win after letting a 9-3 lead slip away. After UMW took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, MU struck back with three runs in the bottom of the frame, including two-run single from Brittany Miller to take a 3-1 lead. The Eagles then tied the game at 3-3 in the third inning on a pair of RBI base hits.
 
MU then scored four runs in the fourth inning, including three unearned runs on a fielding error with two outs in the frame, and added two more runs in the fifth for a 9-3 lead.
 
Mary Washington came storming back in the top of the seventh inning however, tying the game at 9-9 on Erin Nykorchuk's three-run home run to right center. In the bottom of the eighth, after Krista Zentner was placed on second base to start the inning per the international tiebreaking procedure, Jordan Adams walked with one out and both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Gabby Howard followed with a perfectly-executed suicide squeeze that scored Zentner and lifted MU to the one-run victory.
 
Adams and Marcy McKee each had two hits for the Monarchs and Adams, Tippett, Zentner, and Sarah Stapleton all scored a pair of runs in the win. Miller made her first collegiate start in the circle and alloed seven runs (6 ER) on 10 hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Farmer picked up the win by tossing 2.0 innings of relief. She allowed two runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Finally, MU closed with a 4-1 win over Emory & Henry to improve to 4-1 on the season. Rodriguez started and earned the win, giving up just one run on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Farmer nailed down the save with 1.2 innings of perfect relief. She struck out one.
 
The Monarchs tallied single runs in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings, while the Wasps scored their lone run in the sixth frame.
 
Katie Byrd was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI to lead Methodist. Tippett was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate and Griffin and Heather Williams each added a pair of base hits.
 
The Monarchs are slated to return to action on Tuesday when they host Gwynedd Mercy in a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 pm.