FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist baseball team rallied to plate four runners in the bottom of the eighth inning on its way to an 8-6 victory against N.C. Wesleyan at Armstrong-Shelley Field on Sunday afternoon.
 
With the result, the Monarchs are now 14-14 on the year behind a 6-6 mark in USA South play. Meanwhile, the Battling Bishops fall to 19-12 overall with a 10-5 conference mark.
 
Trailing 6-4 in the eighth inning, Will May started the rally with a double to right field. He advanced to third and scored on consecutive errant pitches to trim the deficit to one run. Pete Wildeboer walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by pinch hitter David Goforth. Clay Richardson also walked before Matthias Carter singled up the middle to score Wildeboer and tie the game, 6-6. After a pitching change, Brennen Brown also singled up the middle to score Richardson and Carter, 8-6. The Bishops were retired in order in the ninth inning.
 
The scoring started in the second inning as Nate Gardner reached on a single before rounding the bases and scoring on a fielder's choice play to give NCWC a 1-0 lead. The Bishops extended their lead in the fourth inning with three runs on three hits, including back-to-back RBI doubles by Tony Sanchez and Brandon Wheat, 4-0.
 
The Monarchs responded in the bottom half of the fourth with three runs of their own. Brown led off with a double to right-center field before moving to third on a single by Lucas Scott. Brown scored on a ball misplayed by the second baseman off the bat of Tucker Criswell to put MU on the board, 4-1. After May walked to load the bases, Wildeboer hit a fly ball to right field that was dropped allowing two runs to score on the play, 4-3. N.C. Wesleyan added another run in the following frame on an RBI single by Nick Beaver, 5-3.
 
Criswell started the sixth inning with a single to right field and scored on an RBI single by Richardson to cut the lead to 5-4. The Bishops responded with a one-out solo home run by Sanchez in the seventh to make the score 6-4, which held until the eighth inning.
 
Madison Cook tallied his second win of the season after tossing 2.0 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed no hits and walked one batter. Tyler Hardee started on the mound and pitched 5.0 innings. He surrendered five runs (3 ER) on eight hits with one strikeout and two walks. Sam Berman also appeared on the hill yielding one run on two hits with one strikeout in 2.0 innings of work.
 
Austin Bain was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs on two hits with a pair of walks in 1.1 innings on the mound. Gardner got the start and pitched 5.0 innings before moving to the DH position. He scattered four hits and yielded three runs (1 ER) with five strikeouts and a walk.
 
Brown was 4 for 5 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. Carter registered two hits with an RBI and a run scored, while Criswell scored two runs on Sunday.
 
For N.C. Wesleyan, three batters recorded multi-hit games. Sanchez was 2 for 4 on the day with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Gardner went 2 for 5 at the plate and scored three times, while Beaver tallied two hits with an RBI.
 
Methodist returns to action on Wednesday, March 29, at Virginia Wesleyan with first pitch scheduled for 3 pm.
 
 
 
--