GREENSBORO, N.C. Methodist baseball visited the Pride of Greensboro College on Saturday afternoon, as the two teams split their USA South Athletic Conference doubleheader with the Monarchs winning Game 2, 8-3, after the Pride took Game 1, 10-8, at Ted Leonard Park.
Despite the game one loss, two Methodist players accomplished a couple of milestones. In the bottom of the third, Monarchs starting pitcher
Austin Skipper registered his third strikeout of the game and that was the 100th batter he has struck out in his collegiate career.
Later in the contest during the seventh inning, senior
Jacob Austin laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance his teammate. This was Austin's 43rd career sacrifice hit which makes him the program's all-time leader in sacrifice hits, after breaking a tie with 2016 alum Stephen Nalls.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final results: Greensboro def. Methodist, 10-8; Methodist def. Greensboro, 8-3
Records: Methodist 13-8 (3-2 USA South), Greensboro 6-11 (1-4)
Location: Ted Leonard Park; Greensboro, North Carolina
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Stancil Bowles got Methodist on the board first with a run batted in single during the first inning of Game 1. The Monarchs score one more time to take a 2-0 advantage.
- Greensboro drew one run closer via a solo home run in the second. Spencer Nelson returned the favor during the third by doubling Methodist run total with a 2-run homer to make it 4-1.
- That lead would be short lived as the Pride scored five runs with their third & fourth inning at-bats to put them in front 6-4. Nelson made it a one run affair in the fifth off an RBI single.
- By the time the Monarchs came up to the plate in the ninth, Greensboro had increased the difference to five, 10-5. Once again Nelson came up with a big hit to bring in two runner and a third would score off an error to make it 10-8. Alas that would as close as Methodist got to the score before falling in the first game
- Game 2 saw each team get one run in the opening frame before an RBI single by Nelson gave the Monarchs the lead again, during the third inning.
- Twice in the game Methodist tallied three runs in an inning, 4th & 6th, to put the Monarchs run total at eight. That would be enough to get Methodist the win as the Pride could only score two more times in the entire game.
STAT FACTS
- In the two games combined, Nelson went 7 for 10 with seven RBIs, including a career-high five RBIs in the first contest.
- Methodist got great pitching efforts from William St. Legar, Chase Carroll, and Zachary Ritter in Game 2. Carroll had his best outing yet by going allowing one run, on three hits, striking out six and issued two walks in four innings of work. He also was credited with the win for his first collegiate victory of his career.
UP NEXT
These two squads will square off again tomorrow, March 27, in the rubber match with game time set for 1 PM.