FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina -- Ferrum College dropped both ends of a non-conference softball doubleheader this afternoon at Methodist University. The Panthers fell 8-5 in the opener, then lost a 9-8 heartbreaker in the nightcap.

RECORDS
Ferrum (0-4)
Methodist (4-4)

GAME ONE
Methodist jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two fulling innings in the first game, with four runs in the first and two in the second. Riley Young's sac fly in the top of the fifth inning got Ferrum on the scoreboard with a run. The Panthers scored four more runs in the sixth inning to trim the lead to 6-5. Breanna Weaver's double drove in three runs and Macie Bell's RBI single through the right side added another. The Monarchs tacked on a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth for the final score.

KEY STATS
Methodist: Hannah Lovick 3-4, 3 runs; Alyssa Rivas 2-3, run, 2 RBI; SP Kiersten Margoupis (W, 1-1)
Ferrum: Weaver 2-3, 2b, 2 runs, 3 RBI, SB; Bell 2-4, 2b; Macey Moore 2-4; SP Emily Walker (L, 0-1) 1 inn, 5 hits, 4 ER

GAME TWO
Methodist exploded for five runs in the bottom of the first inning of the nightcap. Ferrum answered with four runs in the second inning, one off Kaycee Kincaid's sac fly to left field, one off Leanna Bartrug's RBI single up the middle, and a run each on a walk and a hit batter. The Panthers scratched out four more runs in the third inning to take an 8-5 lead, two when Bartrug blasted an RBI triple to right field, and a run each off Weaver and Bell RBI singles.

Methodist scored four in the bottom of the fourth inning to deadlock the game at 8-8 and eventually force extra innings. The Monarchs scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning off a Rivas two-out RBI single up the middle to complete the afternoon sweep.

KEY STATS
Ferrum: Bartrug 4-4, 3b, 2 runs, 3 RBI; SP Kylie Atkins (0-2) 3.2 inn, 2 hits, 0 ER, 3 K
Methodist: RP Margoupis (W, 2-1), 5 inn, 3 hits, 0 runs, 3 K

UP NEXT
Coach Josh Freeman's team will be back in action Saturday, March 2, at Mary Baldwin University. The non-conference doubleheader is set for a 1:00 p.m. start in Staunton, Virginia.