DEMOREST, Ga. – The Methodist baseball team opened play in the Piedmont Invitational by dropping a 3-1 contest against Birmingham-Southern at Loudermilk Field on Friday afternoon.
The Panthers (1-0), who are ranked No. 6 in the D3Baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25 poll, opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a lead-off walk who eventually scored on a one-out RBI triple to left field. BCS tacked on another run when the very next batter struck an RBI single to centerfield.
In the top of the third, the Monarchs (2-1) failed to plate a runner after loading the bases with one out, before getting on the board in the eighth.
Pete Wildeboer led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a single by
Lucas Scott. Both men advanced on a sacrifice bunt by
Davis Cass before Wildeboer crossed home plate on an RBI single from
Tyler Hardee, 2-1. In the bottom half of the inning, the Panthers added another run after a lead-off single by Preston White who eventually came around to score, 3-1.
Greg Johnson (0-1) was settled with the loss after allowing two runs (earned) on seven hits with three walks and a strikeout in 5.2 innings on the mound.
Nick Norton tossed 2.1 innings of relief and allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout. Ryan Gaines (1-0), who was recently named a preseason All-American by d3baseball.com, received a win after throwing 6.0 scoreless innings scattering five hits and striking out five. Easton Fuller was credited with a save after striking out six and allowing one run on four hits in 3.0 innings on the mound.
Three players tallied multiple hits for the Monarchs, including
Clay Richardson who went 2 for 4 with a double.
Mathias Carter and
Will May also posted two-hit games, while Wildeboer was 1 for 3 with a run scored and Hardee was 1 for 4 with an RBI.
Each team totaled nine hits and both left nine runners on base.
The Monarchs are back in action tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 11, against Piedmont with first pitch scheduled for 5 pm.
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