ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- The No. 20 Methodist baseball team collected 18 hits and plated 14 runners in a 14-4 victory against N.C. Wesleyan in USA South action on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the result, the Monarchs improve to 11-2 on the season and 4-0 in league play. Meanwhile, the Bishops drop to 8-5 overall behind a 2-2 mark in conference action.
 
MU started the scoring in the top of the first as Alex Kachler belted a home run to left-center field with two outs, 1-0.
 
In the third inning, the Monarchs plated four to jump ahead 5-0. Parker Clayton led off with a single to center before moving to second after Ethan Carmack walked. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Matthias Carter and scored on a two-run triple by Clay Richardson, 3-0. The following batter, Kachler, drove in Richardson with a single to right, 4-0. The final run of the inning crossed home plate on a single to the left side by Davis Cass, 5-0.
 
The Battling Bishops responded in the home half of the frame with four runs of their own. Two of the runs scored on a home run by Brad Pennington to cut the lead to 5-2. Consecutive base hits scored another run on an RBI double by Narron, 5-3, before Narron scored on a single to right center by Logan Andrews, 5-4.
 
The Green and Gold plated an insurance run in the fourth as Carmack reached on an error and came around to score after back-to-back singles by Carter and Richardson, 6-4. In the sixth, Carter crossed home plate after an error on the NCWC third baseman with the bases loaded, 7-4. MU picked up another run in the seventh after an RBI single by Carter with two outs, 8-4.
 
In the eighth frame, the Monarchs picked up another three runs on three hits, including an RBI double by Cass and an RBI single by Clayton that scored Tucker Criswell, 11-4, and they plated another three runs in the top of the ninth, including a one-out, two-run double by Jacob Austin, to reach the 14-4 final.
 
Tyler Brown (4-0) tossed 6.0 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts to become the second starting pitcher in the rotation to four wins. Thomas Dean pitched 1.0 inning and scattered one hit, while Seth Beard threw the final 2.0 innings and did not allow a hit and struck out one batter.
 
Nate Gardner (2-1) was strapped with the loss after yielding seven runs (5 ER) on 11 hits with four strikeouts and two walks in 5.2 innings on the hill. Four pitchers saw the mound in relief for the Bishops
 
 Carter, Cass, Kachler and Richardson all recorded three hits on the day, while Austin and Clayton each had two. Kachler drove in two runs, scored four times and drew a pair of walks, while Richardson had three RBI. A total of six Monarchs recorded multiple RBI.
 
Trey Croom and Narron each had two hits in the loss, while Pennington drove in two and scored once.
 
Methodist and N.C. Wesleyan close out the weekend series tomorrow, March 4, with a doubleheader beginning at 11 am.