Baseball | 3/22/2014 11:59:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 FERRUM, Va. -- The Methodist baseball team dropped two games to host Ferrum on Saturday afternoon at Panther Field. Game scores were 9-6 and 9-7, respectively.
 
To start the doubleheader, the Panthers held a 4-1 edge through two complete before the Monarchs scored the game's next three runs to tie it up, 4-4, in the top of the fourth.
 
Trailing by a 4-2 margin, Methodist got things going as Steven Kirby coaxed a leadoff walk, and moved to second on a Cody Molosky single. Lucas Scott then singled to center, but Kirby was out at home plate on the relay throw from the outfield.
 
Matt Jack would drive in Molosky, however, on a fielder's choice to shortstop that plated Molosky, and Scott moved to third on an error by Ferrum's third baseman. Now within a run at 4-3, the Monarchs drew even as Alex Rodriguez's one-out sacrifice bunt drove in Scott from third.
 
The Panthers went to score the next five runs to assume a 9-4 advantage by the top of the ninth inning. Matt Reynolds hit a two-run double in the fifth, and Jeff Swoope added a run-scoring single in that same frame to turn a 4-4 contest into a 7-4 Ferrum lead. Swoope later hit a solo home run in the seventh for an insurance run.
 
Following a leadoff single by Scott to start the ninth, Ray Lanners came in as a pinch hitter for Methodist, and knocked one over the fence for a two-run homer to close the gap to 9-6. Despite allowing the Monarchs' first roundtripper of the spring, Panthers reliever Matt King ended up closing out the Ferrum victory by inducing a game-ending lineout to shortstop off the bat of Stephen Nalls to earn the 3.0-inning save.
 
Chris Power batted 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored for Methodist, and Lanners drove in a pair. Scott went 2-for-4 and scored twice. Monarchs starting pitcher Travis Johnson (2-2) took the loss as he went 4.2 innings. He surrendered seven runs (6 ER) on eight hits and one walk. He struck out three.
 
Swoope was 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and scored twice for the Panthers, and Reynolds batted 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Jake Perkins improved to 5-1 this season as he threw 6.0 innings. He gave up four runs (3 ER) on four hits and two walks and struck out four.
 
In the nightcap, Ferrum (15-6, 12-2 USA South) again led early on after a two-out RBI single by Adam Duncan in the first, but Methodist (13-8, 7-4 USA South) moved ahead by a 3-1 margin as it scored three in the second.
 
Kirby hit a one-out double to left center, and Molosky brought him in with a base hit to left center to knot things up, 1-1. Three batters later, Rodriguez plated Molosky via a sacrifice fly to right, and Scott wound up stealing home with two outs to put the Monarchs up 3-1.
 
With Methodist leading 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers used a three-spot to march ahead, 5-4. Hank Parsley hit a two-run single, and Hayden crossed the plate on an error. Following run-scoring hits in the sixth by Power and later Nalls, the Monarchs were in the lead again, 6-5, when Ferrum stepped up to bat.
 
Eddie McGrath had the gametying bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, and Duncan broke open the game with a two-RBI single down the left field line for an 8-6 Ferrum edge, and the Panthers added an insurance run in the eighth.
 
Down by a 9-6 margin, Methodist added its final run of the day in the top of ninth as Josh Howard scored on Kirby's RBI groundout, which trimmed Ferrum's lead to 9-7. Panthers reliever Manny Torres would retire the final two Monarch batters on groundouts to wrap up the action.
 
Methodist had 10 hits in game two, and Nalls went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two RBI. Tyler Hardee reached base four times as he batted 2-for-2 with two walks, and Power had a double, an RBI and a run scored. Jacob Shumate (2-2) was tagged with the loss as he came in relief of starting pitcher Darin Salter. Shumate went 1.1 innings, and gave up three runs (2 ER) on a hit and three walks. He struck out two.
 
Duncan batted 3-for-5 with a steal and three driven in for the Panthers, and Justin Cox stole a base to go along with two bases hits and two runs scored. Hayden crossed the plate three times. Ferrum game two starter Dillon Weaver (4-0) earned the victory as he threw 6.0 innings. He surrendered six runs (4 ER) on nine hits and two walks. He struck out four.
 
The two teams will wrap up this three-game series tomorrow with a 2:00 pm matchup at Panther Field.