FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  On Sunday, March 10, Price Field hosted Methodist University and Rhode Island College in a two-game series, where each side took turns in being the "home" team. Game one saw the Monarchs force extra innings before falling to the Anchorwomen 7-5, then in the second game Methodist fended off Rhode Island to hang on to an 8-6 victory to earn a split.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final scores: Rhode Island def. Methodist, 7-5 (8 Inn.); Methodist def. Rhode Island, 8-6
Records: Methodist 8-6; Rhode Island 2-2
Location: Price Field; Fayetteville, North Carolina

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1

• A pair of Monarch errors in the first inning led to the Anchorwomen taking an early 2-0 advantage. An inning later, Rhode Island added an additional run to go up 3-0.
• The Methodist offense was held in check through the first four innings as the team only recorded two hits. Finally, in the fifth, the Monarchs broke thru for three runs to tie the ballgame. Following a Haley Downes base hit and a Laney Ayers walk, Alexandra Edwards singled to left to bring in one run. As Ayers was heading to third base, an Anchorwomen throwing error to the outfield allowed Ayers & Edwards to score.
• Neither team scored again until the seventh, as they each tallied a run. With Methodist trailing by one, Sydney Sizemore led the inning off with a double to deep center. Downes successfully bunted Sizemore over to third before Rachel Lawson brought her home on an RBI single.
• In the top half of the eighth, Rhode Island added three runs to its total to take a 7-4 lead. During the bottom half, Alyssa Rivas drove in the only Monarch run on a sacrifice fly.

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2

• Methodist, the designated visiting team, opened the game by scoring three runs. The Monarchs had bases loaded until a pass ball scored Edwards from third. A 2-RBI base hit by Lawson then made it 3-0.
• After the Anchorwomen got a run back in the first inning, 3-1, Minnie Johnson led off the second with a triple for Methodist. Two batters later, an Edwards' single drove in Johnson.
• During the bottom of the second, Rhode Island plated two more runs following a double in the gap between left and center.
• A second triple by Johnson, in the fourth inning, came with an RBI this time and increased the Monarchs lead to two runs, 5-3. Just like earlier in the game, Johnson crossed home again on another Edwards base hit. Then a single and a couple of walks tallied the seventh Methodist run.
• The Anchorwomen were able to cut the deficit down to one run, 7-6, after recording three-run fifth inning.
• Madsion Sanchez added an insurance run for the Monarchs on a sac fly in the sixth.
• After pitching the first four innings for Methodist, Kiersten Margoupis was called upon again to close out the game that she had started, and she did just that with a 1-2-3 inning to preserve the win.

NUMBERS

• Johnson is the second Monarch this season register two triples in the same game, with Rachel Blanchard being the other. This was Johnson's best college game to date as she went three for four at the plate, came around to score twice, and she recorded her first collegiate RBI.
• Margoupis improves to 5-1 inside the circle, which leads the Methodist pitching staff.
• After a quiet first game, Edwards led game two with a career-high four hits (4 of 5). She also had two RBIs and scored three runs in the win against Rhode Island.

UP NEXT
Methodist hits the road and travels to Bridgewater College for its next two games on Saturday, March 16. First pitch is scheduled for 1 PM.