Behind a strong offense and an excellent pitching performance from Michael Inman, the d3baseball.com 23rd ranked Methodist baseball team picked up a huge 10-2 USA South win over Averett University on Sunday afternoon. The Monarchs claimed the series, after splitting on Saturday, and improve to 26-8 on the season, 18-6 in conference play. With the loss, Averett is now 22-10 overall, 16-8 in the USA South.
 
Inman (4-1) was credited the win after pitching 8.0 innings for Methodist, allowing just one run on nine hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
 
The Monarchs scored in all but two innings, starting with a RBI single by Pete Wildeboer in the opening home frame. With two outs in the bottom of the second, Chris Power hammered one down the right field line and a single by Rodriguez plated him giving the Monarchs a 2-0 lead.
 
Lucas Scott led off the third with a triple to center field and an error by Averett on Power's hit allowed Scott to score, pushing the Monarchs ahead, 3-0. MU tacked on two more in the fifth and six innings before exploding in the seventh, tallying five runs on three hits and two errors.
 
After a pitching change, Scott sent a base knock to center, and an error by Averett's third baseman, Kevin Alvarez, allowed batter Cody Molosky to make it all the way to third base and Scott to score. An RBI single by Power scored Molosky and a single by Rodriguez put Methodist in scoring position. Averett was able to eliminate Power at third off a fielder's choice by Steven Kirby, but after Rodriguez and Kirby each stole a base, and Matt Jack walked, Methodist was still able to score as Ray Lanners was hit by a pitch. Ahead 8-0 with the bases loaded, Wildeboer sent a sacrifice fly to right field, which AU's right fielder, Drew Evans, dropped, allowing Kirby to score and Methodist to keep the bases loaded with only one out. The Green and Gold tacked on another run on the next play with a passed ball to gain a strong 10-0 advantage heading into the eighth.
 
Averett tallied its two lone runs in the tops of the eighth and ninth innings, scoring on an RBI double by pinch hitter Mike Moore and an RBI single by Taylor Davis.
 
Rodriguez finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored while Jack was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Power went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI and two runs scored and Scott was 3-for-5 with two scored runs.
 
Davis finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and Kyle Vidano was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
 
Joshua Hatcher (5-2) was handed the loss, tossing the first 5.1 innings and giving up five runs (4 ER) on 10 hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
 
The Monarchs will travel to Wilson, N.C. to compete in a USA South series against N.C. Wesleyan beginning on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
 
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