Baseball | 3/18/2014 8:38:00 PM

Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist baseball team lost to Virginia Wesleyan, 3-1, in an nonconference meeting on Tuesday afternoon at Armstrong-Shelley Field.
 
The Monarchs (13-5) struggled to mount a sustained offensive attack against the visiting Marlins (7-12), and were limited to four base hits all game.
 
Virginia Wesleyan tallied the game's first three runs to take a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
 
In the top half of the first inning, the Marlins had runners on second and third with two down when Taylor Erby lofted a flyball in foul territory by the rightfield line.
 
Methodist rightfielder Steven Kirby charged in and gloved the ball, but could not maintain control and was charged with an error on the dropped foul ball. Erby would later capitalize on this second chance, and drove in Brett Sutryk with an infield hit to shortstop to make it 1-0.
 
Virginia Wesleyan added another run in the top of the third to give itself a 2-0 edge.
 
Sutryk led off and reached on a bobble by Monarch starting pitcher Jacob Shumate, and advanced to second as the next batter, Zach Bach, singled to center. The following hitter, C.J. Lindsay, drew a base on balls to load the bases with none down. Erby plated Sutryk yet again, this time with an RBI fielder's choice to shortstop.
 
The Marlins tacked on their final score via Ty Boothe's eighth-inning RBI single that brought in Bach for a 3-0 lead.
 
With Virginia Wesleyan still up by a 3-0 margin, Marlin starting pitcher Reed Duffer began the bottom of the ninth in pursuit of the complete-game shutout.
 
Travis Johnson drew a leadoff walk off Duffer, and Kirby reached base next as he was hit by a pitch to put two runners on and no out. Cody Molosky walked to load the bases, and Virginia Wesleyan elected to call upon reliever Reid Hoffler to take the mound in Duffer's place.
 
Hoffler promptly fanned his first batter, Tyler Hardee, but hit pinch-hitter Matt Jack with the bases loaded to bring Travis Johnson home for Methodist's only run of the game. Facing Lucas Scott with the bases still full and only one out, Hoffler induced a game-ending double-play grounder to earn the save.
 
Scott went 1-for-4 with the Monarchs' lone extra-base hit, a leadoff double in the eighth inning. Methodist had five walks overall in the contest, but left eight runners on base.

Shumate (2-1) took the loss for the Monarchs as he went 3.0 innings. He gave up two runs, neither of them earned, on two hits, two walks and struck out one. Ross Leggett threw 3.0 scoreless innings in relief of Shumate, and surrendered two base hits, one walk and struck out three.
 
Sutryk went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen and scored twice for the Marlins, and Erby drove in two runs. Boothe and Bach each had two base hits and a stolen base.
 
Duffer (2-0) earned the victory as he pitched 8.0-plus innings. He gave up one run on four hits and worked around five walks. He struck out two.
 
Methodist will play at home again tomorrow when it matches up against Tufts at 4:00 pm.