MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Alex Kachler belted his fourth homerun of the season, but his solo round-tripper was just one of three hits for 17th-ranked Methodist as the Monarchs dropped a 7-1 decision to host and No. 13 Huntingdon College in USA South Athletic Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Huntingdon def. Methodist, 7-1
Records: Methodist 18-5 (9-3 USA South), Huntingdon 18-5 (10-4)
Location: Posey Field; Montgomery, Ala.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The final game of the three-game set at Huntingdon could hardly have gotten off to a better start for the Monarchs, at least from the pitching standpoint. Starter Seth Beard canceled out the first two batters with strikeouts, then fanned a third to close the inning after a harmless single into short, right field.
• Beard earned an unconventional 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second, striking out his fourth batter to begin the frame, sending a batter to first base after a hit by pitch, but earning the easy trot to the dugout after a Matthias Carter-to-Parker Clayton-to-Jacob Austin double-play grounder.
• The Methodist bats generated an equal number of hits -- one -- over those same two innings, but with Beard sailing through his two frames, the game looked as if it might become a pitcher's dual.
• That is, until the bottom of the third. Huntingdon pushed five runs across the plate during a frame in which it earned four walks and a hit batter, collected three singles and added a sacrifice fly to knock out Beard early from the contest.
• Methodist would not add its next hit until the sixth inning, a double by Carter into left center, and would not get on the scoreboard until the seventh with Kachler's lead-off homer over the left-field fence.
• That would be the Monarchs' last hit of the game, while the Hawks would tack on single runs in the sixth and eighth innings.

STAT FIGURES

• Tucker Criswell's lead-off second-inning single to right was Methodist's initial hit of the afternoon.
• The Monarchs put three runners on base via walks, and would leave four runners stranded.
• Beard took the loss on the mound for Methodist, while Wallace Henry tossed eight innings, before giving way to John Crawford to start the ninth, to earn the victory.
• Sunday's win gives the Hawks the series from Methodist following Friday's win and Saturday's loss.
• Methodist entered Sunday's contest averaging almost eight runs (7.8) per game.

NEXT UP

• The Monarchs step out from league play for the next outing, a Wednesday-afternoon contest at Virginia Wesleyan University.
• Huntingdon also leaves conference action for its net game, traveling to Birmingham Southern for a Tuesday-afternoon game.