Softball | 4/13/2013 7:05:00 PM

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- After the first day of the USA South softball tournament was a washout due to rain, the Methodist softball team posted wins in two of its three games on Saturday to stay alive and advance to Sunday's competition.
 
Methodist opened play with a 10-0 win over Meredith, in a game that was started on Friday before the rain came. The Monarchs then fell to LaGrange, 5-2, before ending the day with an 11-9 win over N.C. Wesleyan.
 
In the Monarchs' 10-0 win over Meredith, a game that Methodist led 4-0 when the game was suspended in the fifth inning, MU came back from the overnight delay and scored six runs in the sixth inning to put the game away. Heather Williams led the offense, driving in two runs and scoring twice while going 3-for-4 with a double. Krista Zentner was also 2-for-4, including a home run, with two RBIs and a run scored. Lindsay Tippett and Katie Byrd each finished 2-for-4 as well. Tippett drove in one run and Byrd scored once for MU.
 
Sarah Stapleton, who was 3-for-5 with a run at the plate, picked up the win in the circle. She allowed three hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 scoreless innings.
 
In the Monarchs' 5-2 loss to the Panthers, LaGrange took a 5-0 lead after four innings before the Monarchs managed a pair of runs in the fifth, but that would be as close as they could pull. MU was held to four hits on the day, two of them coming from Jordan Adams who finished 2-for-4 with two runs driven in and a stolen base. Jessica Farmer took the loss for Methodist, allowing five runs, but just one earned, on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 6.0 innings.
 
In Methodist's final game of the day, the Monarchs raced out to a 6-0 lead and held an 11-4 advantage before the Battling Bishops nearly rallied with five runs in the seventh to pull within a pair before Farmer shut the door on the potential rally. Stapleton earned the win, her second of the day, allowing four runs (2 ER) on four hits and four walks with a strikeout in 5.0 innings. Farmer picked up the save, she walked two but did not allow a run or a hit in working the final 0.2 innings.
 
At the plate, Ally Griffin and Williams each posted 4-for-4 performances to lead MU. Each player added two RBIs and scored twice. Adams was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and Katie Byrd was 1-for-3 with a walk and scored twice.
 
With the win to advance to Sunday, Methodist will now face Ferrum at 9:00 am.