Baseball | 4/12/2014 8:22:00 PM

Box Score WILSON, N.C. -- The Methodist baseball finished with 14 hits overall as it defeated Covenant, 13-5, on Saturday afternoon at Fleming Stadium.
 
In the early going, the Monarchs (19-12, 13-8 USA South) ran ahead by a 5-0 margin against the Scots (21-10, 15-6 USA South) through two complete innings.
 
In the top of the third, however, Covenant scored three times to draw within two runs at 5-3. Will Cleland hit a one-out single, and Scott Gillespie followed with a base hit. Later on with two outs and runners still on first and second, David Lockwood singled to third to load the bases. After Chris Rollins coaxed a bases-loaded walk, Paul Phillips hit a two-run single to left to complete the two-out rally by the Scots.
 
The score remained 5-3 with Methodist up to bat in the bottom of the fourth. Stephen Nalls hit a one-out single to right, and two batters later Tyler Hardee reached on a fielding error to put two runners on base. Pete Wildeboer singled to third, and then Steven Kirby cleared the bases with a two-out grand slam to left that pushed out the Monarchs' advantage to 9-3.
 
Methodist put together four more runs combined in the fifth and sixth to account for the game's final score of 13-5.
 
In the first inning, the Monarchs scored the first two runs of the afternoon on run-scoring singles by Hardee and Wildeboer to seize a 2-0 edge. In the second, Chris Power hit an RBI double and later came around on a fielding error. Hardee drove in his second run in as many innings with a single to right-center to make it a 5-0 contest.
 
Nalls had three hits, including a double, and scored three times for Methodist. Hardee reached base four times as he went 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and two runs scored, and Kirby drove in four runs and scored twice. Power had two hits, including a double, and drove in a pair. Darin Salter (5-0) remained undefeated as he earned the victory in relief of Monarchs starting pitcher Rett Lee. Salter threw 3.1 scoreless innings and allowed two hits.
 
Gillespie had three hits for Covenant and also scored once. Lockwood crossed the plate twice, and Paul Phillips had two singles and two runs scored. Rollins reached base a total of four times via two singles and two walks. Scots starting pitcher Alhanon Miller (4-3) was tagged with the defeat as he lasted 2.1 innings. He gave up five runs (2 ER) on eight hits.
 
Methodist will play next when it hosts Randolph-Macon on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 4:00 pm.