FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Methodist University baseball team scored twice in the ninth and walked off with a 10-9 victory in the 11th inning against visiting Wheaton College (Mass.) this afternoon in game one of a doubleheader at Amstrong-Shelley Field in Fayetteville, N.C.
The Lyons dip to 0-2 on the season, while the Monarchs improve to 7-3.
Wheaton scored the first six runs of the game over the first two innings, before Methodist rallied for a run in the third and three in the fourth to cut the deficit to two runs. The teams traded runs in the sixth to keep the Lyons' two-run lead (7-5) intact. The Monarchs scored twice in the seventh to knot the contest at 7-7, before Wheaton got the runs back in the eighth to take a 9-7 advantage. The teams combined for 34 hits (Wheaton 16, Methodist 18) and scored in all but two innings of the game.
Senior first baseman Timmy Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) knocked in a career-high five runs, including his second career grand slam for Wheaton and added two runs scored and a walk. Sophomore third baseman Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.) registered his second career four-hit outing with four knocks in five at-bats to go with two runs batted in, a double, a run scored and a walk. Senior left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) was 3-6 with a pair of doubles and an RBI, while sophomore right fielder Shawn Cali (Taunton, Mass.) was 3-5 with two runs scored and a walk. Senior relief pitcher Liam Goldthwaite (Braintree, Mass.) was touched up for three runs on seven hits in two and two-thirds innings to go with a pair of strikeouts and was tagged with the loss to drop to 0-1.
Senior first baseman Banks Engle (Hampstead, N.C.) led Methodist with four runs batted in on a 3-6 effort with a double and a run scored, while sophomore center fielder Austin Rinzel (Columbia, S.C.) reached base in all six plate appearances with four hits, including a triple, two walks, a pair of RBI and a stolen base. Senior right fielder Jackson Deal (China Grove, N.C.) contributed, going 4-6 with a double and two runs batted in and senior left fielder Tristen Melvin (Cincinnati, Ohio) was 3-6 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. Senior right-handed reliever Brandon Humphreys (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) was credited with the win after getting the final out of the top of the 11th inning. First year lefty Michael Heis (Huntersville, N.C.) put the home team in a position to win with two and two-thirds innings of three-hit scoreless relief and struck out four against just one walk.
Rinzel led off the bottom of the 11th with a single to right field, stole second and scored on a one-out single through the left side off the bat of junior catcher Jackson Kuhn (Foxfire, N.C.) to break a 9-9 tie and deliver the winning run for the Monarchs.
The Lyons scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the first. Cali singled and Wagner worked a walk, before junior designated hitter Justin Colpack (Easthampton, Mass.) ripped an RBI single to right field to plate Cali with the first run. Matos followed with a single up the middle to bring around Wagner to score and give Wheaton a 2-0 lead.
The Lyons loaded the bases with one out in the second when senior second baseman Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.) beat out a leadoff bunt single, Cali drew a walk and Wensley singled to right to bring up Wagner. The senior blasted his first homer of the year over the right field fence to clear the bases and increase Wheaton's advantage to 6-0.
Methodist got a run back in the third when Rinzel led off with a single, stole second and scored on a single up the middle from Engle. The Monarchs tacked on three more runs in the fourth to pull within 6-4. Melvin knocked in a run with a single to left, before senior shortstop Caleb Rogers (Seminole, Fla.) followed with a single up the middle to set up a two-run triple from Rinzel to plate Melvin and Roger with the third and fourth runs of the game for the home team.
The teams matched each other with a run apiece in the sixth to make it 7-5. Wheaton sophomore center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) punched a single to left and Cali followed with a single to center, before a double to the right-center gap off the bat of Wensley scored Lamond, but also resulted in Cali getting eliminated at the plate. Once again, Rinzel was in the middle of another rally for Methodist, drawing a leadoff walk, stealing second and going to third on a ground out, before scoring on a Deal single to center field.
The Monarchs finally evened the score at 7-7 with a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the seventh. Rogers and Rinzel were issued back-to-back walks and Engle came through with a two-run single through the left side for Methodist.
The Lyons pushed a pair of runs across the plate in the eighth to take a 9-7 lead. Wheaton loaded the bases with one out after Beuregard singled, Lamond drew a walk and Cali singled to center. Wensley beat out an infield single that allowed Beauregard to score and Wagner followed with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Lamond with Wheaton's ninth run of the game.
Wheaton looked to add an insurance run in the ninth when Matos clubbed a leadoff double to right center and went to third on a sacrifice bunt, but was stranded when Heis got the final two hitters out for the Monarchs.
Methodist scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score at 9-9. Rinzel reached on a one-out single and promptly put himself into scoring position with a stolen base, before Engle whacked a double to right to make it a one-run game. One out later, Deal sent the game into extra frames when he delivered a two-out single through the left side to bring home Engle.
