Softball | 4/5/2013 8:40:00 PM

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sarah Stapleton allowed just three earned runs on five hits in the circle and went 3-for-5 at the plate to lead the Methodist softball team to a 12-4 win over William Peace on Friday afternoon.
 
Stapleton surrendered four runs (3 ER) on five hits and three walks with one strikeout to pick up her second win of the season and helped her own cause with three hits in five at bats while scoring three times as MU improved to 19-17 on the season while Peace dropped to 7-26-1 overall.
 
The Monarchs struck for three runs in the first inning, scoring first on Katie Byrd's RBI double for a 1-0 lead. Lindsay Tippett then blasted a two-run homer to center to put MU on top, 3-0. The Pacers scored a single run in the third inning to make it 3-1, before the Monarchs scored in each of the final four innings, including five runs in the seventh, to put the game away.
 
In the fourth, Stapleton and Bird each scored unearned runs on a Pacer throwing error which extended the Monarchs' lead to 5-1. Rachel Chapman added an RBI groundout in the fifth inning and Stapleton scored on a Byrd groundout in the sixth to push the MU advantage to 7-2.
 
The Monarchs put the game out of reach with five runs in the eighth, including RBI base hits by Stapleton and Marcy McKee.
 
Byrd finished 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Tippett was 2-for-4 with two runs driven in and a run scored. Ally Griffin added a 3-for-4 showing at the plate with one run scored in the win.