DANVILLE, Va. – Striking for five runs right away in the first, and getting a great showing from Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) on the bump, the Guilford College baseball team (20-12, 7-10 ODAC) grabbed their 20^th win of the campaign, with a big-time, 13-2, run-rule victory over Averett University (17-11, 9-8 ODAC) in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play on Wednesday afternoon at Owen-Fulton Field.

The Quakers eclipse the 20-win plateau for the third-consecutive season with the outcome, their longest run of such seasons since doing so in four-straight from 2002-06. More impressively, they reach that figure in just 32 games, the fewest they have required since getting to that mark in 31 contests in 2005.

Allowing two runs in the first, Royals appeared to be on the verge of a tough outing but instead he found a nice rhythm the rest of the way, with those two tallies being the only ones he allowed, turning in his second quality start of the spring. He scattered nine hits and two walks, striking out four over 6.0-plus innings to improve to 3-1. While he did not factor into the decision, Jackson Marcellus (Chapel Hill, N.C.) did strand two inherited runners in an inning of work with two strikeouts, but more notably he reached a career milestone, making his 72^nd career pitching appearance for Guilford, bringing him even with Michael Idol '04 for the program record.

The guests had little trouble against Cougars' starter Jack Turner, getting to the second-year righty to the tune of six runs, five earned, on five hits and three walks against one strikeout in just 1.0-plus innings to drop him to 2-1.

After coming through with the big hit in game two Sunday, Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) had a breakout game, finishing 3-for-4 with five RBIs and a run scored, adding a double to lead the GC offense, but posting their largest runs tally in over a month, they benefited from plenty of great performances. Carter Blum (McLeansville, N.C.) drove in three himself and came around to score twice on a 2-of-4 showing with a walk as he and Shoemaker benefited greatly from Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.), Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.), and Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) gathering three hits apiece. Dark went 3-of-4 with a walk, scoring twice, Williams also went 3-for-4, getting hit by a pitch and bashing a double to score three times, and Smith had one run scored and one driven in.

J.C. Barry produced both Cougar runs on a single as a part of a 3-for-4 showing, but AU did not get much else. Like the first matchup between these teams, the top of the Averett lineup was productive with Kevin Zischke, Mason Williams, and Nolan Maccabe contributing two hits a piece with the later of the three scoring once, as did Trevor Testerman. However, beyond the top-four batters and Barry, who hit sixth, the other four spots in the lineup went a combined 0-for-10 with two walks this time around, restricting their run-scoring chances.

Guilford had a big-time threat right away against Turner as Dark drew a four-pitch walk leading off although he was thrown out at third after hesitating around second base on a Williams hit-and-run single. Smith singled and Grayson Tudor (Reidsville, N.C.) worked a free pass, filling the bases with Quakers before the second out went on the board. Blum ensured the chance did not go to waste, drawing a walk to force in Williams before Shoemaker made it an early crooked number, driving a double over the lunging leftfielder Maccabe, emptying the bags with his first collegiate extra-base hit. Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) followed and lofted what should have been the innings' third out to center, but it was dropped by Williams, permitting Shoemaker to score as GC posted their highest-scoring first inning of the season and staked themselves to a 5-0 lead.

Responding in the home half with a two-out rally, Maccabe and Testerman singled and Preston Robbins walked to fill the bases for Averett before Barry floated a single down the line in left to score two, but the guests spoiled AU's bid at a shutdown inning in the second. Dark and Williams singled to get things started, bringing a merciful close to Turner's afternoon on the hill before Smith greeted the reliever by roping a single through the 6-5 hole to make the score 6-2.

Things settled down for a while from there as some baserunning mistakes restrained the Quakers who made their first out on the basepaths in the third and fourth innings. Meanwhile, Royals found a groove. Neutralizing another bid at a two-out rally by the Cougars in the second, he allowed singular baserunners, but no runs the next three innings before GC busted the game wide-open in the sixth. Following a fift- inning RBI single by Shoemaker, the top of the Quaker nine ignited the scoring for the third time on the day when Dark yanked a single into right and Williams got plunked by Tim Schware. Tudor scooted a single through and into center to score a run two batters later then Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) filled the sacks with a hit. Blum plated two with a knock through the shortstop hole, and both he and Rodrigues advanced into scoring position on an errand throw before a pitching change brought in Garrett Arner. Shoemaker welcomed him with his third run-scoring hit of the game, Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) did the same a couple batters later and after another scoreless inning from Royals, the score was 12-2 two-thirds of the way through a regulation ballgame.

Williams doubled, Smith singled him to third, and Tudor brought him in on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh before consecutive singles chased Royals in the bottom of the frame. It did not matter, though, as Marcellus came on, fanned the first two men then Barry singled to right but Dark unleashed a perfect strike to the plate to cut down Williams and end the ballgame after seven with a 13-2 run-rule victory.

Guilford will look to ride the momentum of their sharp mid-week showings the past two nights into their weekend trip up to Harrisonburg, Va., as they play a truly pivotal doubleheader against Eastern Mennonite University on Saturday, April 19^th. First pitch of game one is set for noon.

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