FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The eighth-ranked Methodist baseball team became the first team in NCAA Division III to reach 20 wins this season with a 9-6 win over Pfeiffer on Saturday afternoon at Armstrong-Shelley Field.
 
The Monarchs (20-2) broke open the contest with a five-run fifth inning then held off a late rally from the Falcons (12-7). The win is the 10th in a row for MU and moved the Monarchs to a perfect 15-0 at home this season.
 
Methodist struck for three runs in the first inning, including two-run double off the bat of Jacob Austin, and after the Falcons tallied a single run in the second and two more in the third to tie the game 3-3, MU took the lead, 4-3, for good in the bottom of the third on Ethan Carmack's RBI triple.
 
The Green & Gold piled on five runs in the fifth to make it 9-3. Tucker Criswell led off the frame with a walk, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Austin. Parker Clayton's single put runners on the corners, and Carmack laid down a bunt single that plated Criswell, 5-3. Elliott Manley loaded the bases with a single, and each runner moved up on a wild pitch that made it 6-3.
 
A walk to Matthias Carter reloaded the bases and Davis Cass singled home a run to make it 7-3. A fielder's choice by Alex Kachler and another wild pitch led to two more runs for the Monarchs and a 9-3 lead.
 
In the eighth inning, a pair of singles and a walk for Pfeiffer loaded the bases with one out and prompted the Monarchs to turn to Thomas Dean out of the bullpen. Dean struck out the first batter he faced and induced a routine fly ball to left off the bat of Xavier Rodriguez to end the threat.
 
The Falcons got two runs back in the ninth inning on RBI singles by Chaston Gordon and Mason Striplin to cut into the MU lead, 9-6, but Dean got another fly ball to left with a runner on to close out the game.
 
Logan Haines (1-0) picked up the win for MU, tossing 3.2 innings in relief. He surrendered one run on three hits with a pair of strikeouts. Dean gave up two runs on three hits with a strikeout in 1.2 innings of work.
 
Matthew Lambert started for Pfeiffer and got tagged for three runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout in 1.0 inning of work. Derek Dyson (0-1) took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits and four walks in 3.1 innings.
 
Clayton finished 2 for 3 with a pair of walks and scored twice. Carmack was 2 for 4 with two runs driven in, a walk and a run scored. Austin was 2 for 4 with two driven in, and Carter was 1 for 2, walked three times and scored twice.
 
Striplin was 4 for 5 with two RBI and a run for Pfeiffer. Gordon was 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
 
Methodist and Pfeiffer will wrap up their three-game set on Sunday beginning at 2 pm.