WINCHESTER, Va. - No. 2/6 Shenandoah University kept its baseball record perfect Saturday afternoon with a 5-3 USA South Conference win over Methodist.
Shenandoah (16-0, 7-0 USA South) scored two runs in the second, one in the third and two in the fifth to take out the Monarchs (16-8, 1-4).
Senior All-America Greg Van Sickler (6-0) allowed 10 hits, but just two runs (one earned) to earn the victory on the mound.
Van Sickler struck out nine, but saw his streak of not walking a batter come to an end one batter into the eighth.
Van Sickler went 31 1/3 innings without issuing a base on balls - his last walk came in a 2-0 victory over then No. 2/4 Cortland State in mid-February.
Junior Kyle Scallion retired the final four MU hitters to pick up his second save of the spring. Scallion struck out two and allowed just an infield single in closing the door on the Monarchs.
Junior Mike Minch drove in the first run of the game for the hosts with an infield single in the first before Kevin Brashears brought Minch home with a single to center.
Jake Pendergraft had a RBI single in the third before Keaton Neeb and Minch had RBI's in the fifth to make it 5-1 Shenandoah.
Neeb plated Nick Beall with a double down the leftfield line while Minch saw Neeb score on groundout to second.
Methodist made things interesting by scoring twice in the eighth, chasing Van Sickler, but Scallion ended the threat by striking out Tyler Younger with the bases empty.
Tripp Lancaster had three hits for MU.
Brashears was 3 for 5 and Beall 2 for 3 to lead the victors.
These two teams complete their weekend series with a 1:00 game Sunday.