GREENSBORO, N.C. – Behind clutch pitching and a big showing from
Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.), the Guilford College baseball team (2-3, 0-0 ODAC) held off North Carolina Wesleyan University (0-4, 0-0 USA South), 10-9 on Wednesday afternoon at Edgar H. McBane Field.
Neither starter factored into the pitching decisions in this one.
Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) finished 4.0 innings, allowing a couple earned runs in the first but settling in to permit just a single unearned tally from there. He finished allowing five hits and fanning three in his first start of the season. Working around a couple walks, in 2.0 shutout innings,
Reilan Vickrey (Greensboro, N.C.) secured his first collegiate win, improving to 1-0.
Nathan Rose (Burlington, N.C.) worked out of trouble, inducing a double play and a groundout to finish his first-career save.
For the Battling Bishops, Drake Hobgood toed the slab, completing 3.2 inning allowing three runs, all earned on three hits, a walk, and a couple hit batsmen while striking out two in the no decision. The third of six pitchers NCWU deployed, Caleb Dennis allowed the go ahead run, striking out two but also allowing two hits to take the defeat and fall to 0-1.
Dark finished the day 2-for-4 with a triple, scoring three runs and driving in three in on the afternoon.
Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) had another big afternoon, finishing 2-for-4 with a couple RBIS while
Trae Pitts (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) reached in his final four plate appearances with a couple hits and a couple walks, swiping a pair of bases and scoring three times.
Maison Nance and Schumata Brown provided a majority of the NCWU offense on a pair of swings with Nance hitting a first inning two-run shot, later adding a double and scoring while Brown drove in four runs, including three on a three-run homer late. However, GC pitching held the rest of the NCWU lineup to just 7-for-28 with a couple doubles and a couple RBIs in the win.
Barwick got the first two outs of the game in short order, however Brown hit one off the base of the wall in left-center then Nance tucked one inside the foul pole on the Greensboro Monster for his first home run of the season to seize the early lead for the Battling Bishops. The Quakers offense did not wake up until the third when
Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) got hit by a pitch,
Dawson Kirkland (Clermont, Fla.) bunted him up and Pitts picked up GC's first hit into center. He swiped second, Rodrigues singled in a run and a Dark sacrifice fly leveled the score at two all through three.
NCWU got an unearned run in the fourth then Kirkland countered with a run-scoring single in the home half before GC took the lead in the fifth. Dark split right-center for the 11
th triple of his career to leadoff the inning then
Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) immediately brought him in with an RBI groundout and while the Quakers threatened for more, putting two in scoring position with one out, they took a 4-3 through five full.
The Quakers blew the game open though in the sixth. Kirkland singled, Pitts legged out a bunt for a knock then Rodrigues singled in an insurance run. Dark followed by rocketing a single into center, scoring Pitts easily, but it was misplayed by the centerfielder Aydin Zimmerman allowing Rodrigues to score and Dark to reach third as the ball rolled past him.
Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) later brought in Dark with a sacrifice fly as GC had doubled their run total and opened up an 8-3 lead.
Just as GC had done the half inning prior, the Battling Bishops doubled their run total to make it a game, but the Quakers turned to
Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) for a shutdown top of the eighth, then the offense got extra tallies in the bottom half. Pitts walked and stole second then got third on a Rodrigues productive out. Dark smoked a grounder but it was mishandled allowing the run to score and Dark to reach and he came all the way around on a Smith double.
Braden Bradford (Jamestown, N.C.) came in for the ninth and made things interesting, walking two men then allowing Brown's first homer of the season. Bradford then put the potential tying run on by hitting a batter, but Rose entered, shut the door and completed the 10-9 win.
It will be a doubleheader Saturday next as Guilford hosts Bob Jones University on Saturday, February 21
st starting at noon at McBane Field.
#GoQuakes
