NEWPORT NEWS, Va. The Methodist baseball team took on its second ranked opponent of the season of Tuesday, competing against Christopher Newport University in non-conference action. The Monarchs scored the first run of the game before ultimately surrendering five runs in a loss to the Captains.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final results: #16/19 Christopher Newport def. Methodist, 5–1
Records: Methodist 8-13, Christopher Newport 16-5
Location: Captains Park; Newport News, Virginia
HOW IT HAPPENED
Each team left three runners stranded across the first two innings, paving way for the first runs of the game to be scored in the third.
Austin Rinzel and
Brandon Mauger got the top of the inning started for Methodist with back-to-back singles before
Ethan Golemo laid down a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt on the first pitch he saw. With Rinzel on third,
Parker Evans skied a ball into center field, recording a sacrifice fly to give the Monarchs a 1–0 advantage.
After two great innings of work by
Jackson Kuhn to start the outing, he put the first three batters he faced on base in the bottom of the third. He struck out the next Captain in the order but then conceded a single up the middle that could've been turned for a double play had it not ricocheted off his foot. The unlucky result of the play allowed Christopher Newport to plate two runs, taking the lead. The Captains batted in one more run during the frame to make the score 3–1.
Methodist produced a base runner in every remaining inning — twice getting a man all the way to third — but was unable to cash in for any more runs. Meanwhile, the Captains added two to their total in the seventh inning, making the difference 5–1.
STAT FACTS
The Monarchs left 14 runners stranded, including seven across the final three innings. Methodist batters drew eight walks and were hit by pitch twice, though hits were difficult to come by. Rinzel was the only Monarch with multiple hits on the afternoon, generating two of the team's five knocks.
Andrew Bubon,
Garrett Brouwer and
Dalton Juden all pitched one scoreless inning apiece, helping keep the score within reach. Despite being credited with the loss, Kuhn hurled a career-best seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work.
UP NEXT
Methodist will return to USA South action this weekend when the Monarchs welcome Mary Baldwin University to town for a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. Saturday's first pitch is set for 1 p.m.
