Methodist takes advantage of Panther mistakes in 7-4 win
Feb. 24, 2008

Methodist University took advantage of LaGrange College mistakes for a 7-4 win at Cleaveland Field on Sunday. The loss dropped the Panthers to 3-3 on the season, while the Monarchs improved to 8-3.

LaGrange committed four errors in the game, leading to five unearned runs. All seven of Methodist's runs came with two outs. The Panthers were only 2-for-14 in RBI opportunities in the game.

Cody Belt started for LaGrange on the mound. He went six innings, allowing three runs, only one earned. Jeff Tucker (0-2) took the loss. He gave up two runs, one earned in an inning of work. Eric Medlock followed Tucker and allowed two unearned runs in an inning. Keegan Bailey pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Josh Andrade (2-0) got the win in relief for Methodist. He did not allow a run in 1-1/3 innings. Jason Ridenhour and Alex Sholar also pitched a scoreless inning each. Sholar picked up his first save of the season. Starter Elliott Bisplinghoff pitched into the sixth inning, allowing all four runs, three of them earned.

Methodist went up 2-0 in the second inning. With two outs, Billy Quinn's fly ball was dropped for a three-base error allowing a run to score. Brad Davis followed with a single to drive in Quinn.

The Monarchs upped their lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning. Scott Russell was hit by a pitch with one out.  He stole second and came around to score on Michael Carter's two-out hit.

LaGrange came back with two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. In the fifth, Trey Walker singled and Jimmy Statler walked to start the inning. Both runners moved up on Blake Allen's sacrifice bunt. Walker scored as Michael Sims grounded out. Seth Tucker reached on a throwing error that allowed Statler to score to make it 3-2.

The Panthers took the lead in the sixth. Jesse Brown led off with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Tyson Sandlin. With two outs, Allen tripled to the base of the center field fence to drive in Sandlin. Sims drove in Allen with a double to left field to put the Panthers ahead for the first time in the game.

The lead was short-lived. Methodist loaded the bases off Tucker with one out in the seventh. Tucker got Kenly Locklear to hit a ground ball to short for a potential double play. The relay to first skipped by, allowing two runs to score to put the Monarchs up 5-4.

The Monarchs added two more runs in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Mike Twichell reached on a one-out error.  Russell kept the inning going with a two-out walk. Both runners came around to score on Brian Halpin's single to make it 7-4.

Both teams finished with eight hits. Sims was the only Panther with two hits. He also had two RBIs. Halpin and Dustin Proctor each had two hits for Methodist.

The Panthers are on the road Wednesday against the University of the South. They host Oglethorpe on Thursday.