Baseball | 3/23/2013 6:10:00 PM

Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Alex Rodriguez's bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the Methodist baseball team to a 3-2 win over Maryville on Saturday afternoon.
 
Rodriguez's single came after the Monarchs had loaded the when Tyler Younger singles, Ben Ferraro walked and Will Suton was hit by a pitch. Rodriguez then laced a single back at MC's Nick Bowers, who got a glove on the ball, but it trickled into the outfield grass and Younger came home with the game-winning run.
 
The win gave the Monarchs a three-game sweep of the Scots and lifted MU to 12-15 on the season and 8-10 in conference play. Maryville fell to 12-14 overall and 7-11 in the USA South.
 
The Monarchs had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Brandon Thigpen grounded out to second base to drive in Chris Power, who had led off the inning with a triple.
 
 The Scots tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning as Garrett Gresham reached on an error then scored on Nick Dean's RBI single. Methodist regained the lead (2-1), as Thigpen drove in Power with another groundout in the fifth inning.
 
In the seventh inning, Maryville tied the game at 2-2 as Gresham reached on a fielder's choice and advanced all the way to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Andrew Mabini followed with an RBI groundout to second to tie the game at 2-2.
 
The Monarchs had a chance to win the game in the ninth as Stephen Nalls and Sutton led off the inning with back-to-back singles. However, the Scots retired Nalls at third on a failed sacrifice bunt play and Bowers induced a pair of groundouts to send the game to extra innings.
 
Thigpen picked up the win, pitching 3.1 innings in relief. He allowed just one hit, did not walk a batter and struck out one. Aaron O'Neill started for the Monarchs and surrendered two runs (0 ER) on six hits and four walks with one strikeout.
 
Bowers took the loss, allowing one run on two hits and a walk with one strikeout in 2.0 innings of relief.
 
Power was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored from the leadoff spot and he also threw out 2-of-3 would-be base stealers. Thigpen had a pair of RBIs and Tyler Younger was 1-for-4 with a run scored.
 
For the Scots, Dean finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, Chris Hamilton was 2-for-5 and Gresham scored twice in the loss.
 
The Monarchs are back in action on Thursday when they open a three-game set at Averett beginning at 3:00 pm.