Baseball | 2/26/2013 11:28:00 PM

Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- After waiting out a 45-minute fog delay to start the game, followed by a 45-minute rain delay in the second inning, the Methodist baseball team outlasted Immaculata, 6-3, on Tuesday evening at Armstrong-Shelley Field.
 
The delay to start the contest did not slow down Immaculata (1-3), as the Mighty Macs jumped on the scoreboard in the first inning when Matt Hardy blasted a solo home run to left for an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Monarchs (7-5) came back in the bottom of the inning and took tied the game at 1-1 on Brandon Thigpen's triple to centerfield that scored Tyler Younger. Thigpen then gave MU a 2-1 lead when he scampered home on a wild pitch.
 
Following the rain delay in the second inning, Methodist increased its lead to 4-1 on Steven Kirby's two-run double. The Monarchs made it a 6-1 ballgame when an Immaculata fielding error on Thigpen's fly ball to shallow right allowed two runs to score.
 
Robert Wallace pulled the Mighty Macs to within 6-3 in the sixth inning when he hit a two-run single that brought home Patrick Boulware and Matt Hardy, who just slipped under the tag at home plate.
 
Chris Barger picked up the win in his first start of the season. He allowed just one run on four hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Mikie Morrison earned his second save with 3.0 innings of scoreless relief. He allowed two hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Alex Kblynski (0-1) took the loss for Immaculata. He surrendered six runs (4 ER) on five hits and five walks with a strikeout in 2.1 innings. Joseph Caria and Nicholas Campione combined to toss 5.2 innings of scoreless relief in the loss.
 
Kirby collected four of the Monarchs' 10 hits on the day, finishing 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Thigpen was 1-for-3 with a walk a run scored and an RBI, while David Lutz was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
 
Wallace and Elijah Vottero both finished 2-for-4 for Immaculata. Hardy was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, two runs scored and an RBI.
 
The Monarchs return to action on Wednesday when they host Hampden-Sydney at 4:00 pm.