April 8, 2006
Monarchs inch closer to conference title with 11-5 win over Shenandoah
Brandt picks up the win; Carter has big day at the plate

FAYETTEVILLE, NC-  The Methodist college baseball team took only one step closer to the conference title on Saturday.  Mother nature will make them wait until Sunday to go the rest of the way.  The Monarchs (20-11, 11-5) defeated Shenandoah University (23-11, 7-9) by a score of 11-5 in the first game of the scheduled doubleheader.  The second game was called due to rain with the score tied 0-0 in the middle of the second inning.

A controversial Steve Cornelius sacrifice fly got the Monarchs on the board in the bottom of the third.  The umpires ruled that Jason Hughes did score before Jonathan Spivey was thrown out at third also trying to advance on the fly ball. 

Adam Duckett gave the Hornets the 3-1 lead with a three run home run in the top of the fourth.  However, the Monarchs responded in the bottom of the inning with three of their own, courtesy of a Kyle Eudy single, a Michael Carter triple, and a Brad Davis sacrifice fly. 

Methodist starter Ryan Brandt pitched the Monarchs out of a two on and no out jam in the sixth by striking out three straight Hornets.  Brandt threw eight innings, striking out nine, to record the win.

Methodist then added three more in the bottom of the sixth, thanks in large part to a Jonathan Spivey two run triple down the right field line.  In the seventh the Monarchs piled four more runs on with hits from Cornelius, Carter, Hughes, and Davis.

Shenandoah would add two late runs but it would not be enough to catch Methodist.

Michael Carter led Monarch hitter going 3-4 at the plate with 2 RBI.

Tomorrows action will start one hour earlier, now at 1 pm, as the teams will finish the postponed game as well as play game #3.