GREENSBORO, N.C. – The tide of game one, and ultimately, the entire afternoon, shifted dramatically in the span of two pitches on Saturday afternoon, as Cole Price (Summerfield, N.C.) launched his first-collegiate homerun, then Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) connected on his second of the game in an eventual 4-3 game one win for the Guilford College baseball team (4-3, 0-0 ODAC) over Bob Jones University (3-6, 0-0 NCCAA) before completing the sweep by a 5-4 score at Edgar H. McBane Field.

Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) was quite good over the first four innings but ran out of steam in the fifth, completing 4.0-plus innings of serviceable baseball, allowing two runs, both earned on two hits, two walk, and two hit batsmen while striking out four in a no decision. Instead, Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) entered, allowed an inherited run then one of his own but settled in from there, finishing the final 3.0 frames, striking out two against three hits to get the win and improve to 2-1.

Tillman Padgett was navigating a ton of traffic, with five hits and four walks allowed, but he only allowed a single run over 5.0 frames of a no decision. Unfortunately for him, Sterling Jones entered, allowed the back-to-back homers and a single while not recording an out, ending up on the hook for the defeat, to fall to 1-1.

In a dormant game one from both offenses, Myers was the only Quaker that had multiple hits, crushing a pair of solo homeruns to go with a single in a flawless showing at the plate. Price, meanwhile, added a walk to go with his longball. Jackson Shaner (Pittsboro, N.C.) entered as a defensive replacement, singled and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) as GC's other tally.

Bob Jones only managed ten total baserunners in game one, collecting five hits. Talan Field had their lone extra-base knock, for 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Henry Rumble and Cayden Kennedy had RBI hits while Rumble, Evan Johnson, and Mannix Crawford scored runs for the Bruins.

Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) got the ball in game two, having trouble with command allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits and four walks in just 2.2 innings but ended up off the hook thanks to the efforts of John Yarnovich (Summerfield, N.C.), Reilan Vickrey (Greensboro, N.C.), and Braden Bradford (Jamestown, N.C.). Yarnovich permitted just a single baserunner on a hit in 2.1 innings of lockdown relief to earn his first-career win and improve to 1-0 then Bradford completed a flawless seventh to pickup his first collegiate save.

Mackenzie Ritter went all 6.0 innings for Bob Jones in game two, allowing 10 hits and a walk and striking out six but suffering the loss to fall to 0-3.

Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) broke out with a strong game two, going 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored. One of Skyler Dark's (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) two hits was his second triple of the spring already, scoring twice and driving in one. Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) and Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) each drove in a run with a single and Reese Baker (Ashland, Va.) doubled and scored among other game two producers for Guilford.

Limited to just five hits again in the late contest, Jaden Blanco was the only Bruin to hit one for extra-bases, doubling and scoring in the game. Rumble and Kyle Prouse had RBI's and scored once apiece in the defeat for BJU.

GAME 1      
Tillman Padgett worked in-and-out of trouble, loading the bases with Quakers in both the second in third innings with only one man out, but he wiggled out of the jam in both frames. All the while, Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) was mowing down batters for Bob Jones until the fourth. The junior righty proceeded to walk the first two men then his throw was off-target trying to get the lead runner at third on a bunt by Zac Tyre, loading the bases with no outs. Royals found his way out of it though, with a strikeout, a foul out on which Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) tripped over the first base bag yet somehow remained focused and made the catch laying on his back, and then a fielders choice.

Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) finally broke the stalemate in the bottom of the fourth, taking an 0-1 pitch down the leftfield line and over the Greensboro Monster for a solo home run, his second of the year but as quickly as Guilford took the lead, Bob Jones took it right back in the top of the fifth. Mannix Crawford got hit by a pitch, swiped second and scored on a Mannix Rumble single to left, prompting a pitching change as Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) entered. Evan Johnson singled on a bunt on a play that was overturned after an umpire's discussion, then Cayden Kennedy singled to left to grab the guests the lead and the momentum then Talan Field doubled in another tally. Ricigliano avoided further damage, inducing a groundout a short fly to right and another flyout, but the score had flipped to 3-1.

A pitching change saw Sterling Jones enter for the Bruins in the sixth and the swap breathed life into the Quakers as Cole Price (Summerfield, N.C.) led off and took a 1-1 offering over the leftfield fence to cut the deficit to one with his first collegiate homer. Myers followed suit with his second long ball of the game as in the span of just two pitches, Guilford tied the game. Jackson Shaner (Pittsboro, N.C.), who had come in on defense earlier, picked up his first collegiate hit into right-center, was bunted up 90 feet by Trae Pitts (Land O' Lakes, Fla.), took another base on a wild pitch and was brought in on a sacrifice fly by Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.), giving GC the 4-3 lead and ultimately the win by that score after a flawless seventh from Ricigliano.

GAME 2
Unlike game one, when all the scoring came in the fourth inning or later, runs were exclusively scored early in the second contest as Bob Jones got one run in the first thanks to a two-out error before Guilford countered with a two-out Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) single and a Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) run-scoring double.

In the second, Jaden Blanco doubled with one out and Henry Rumble singled him in a couple batters later but again the Quakers answered, this time with a Reese Baker (Ashland, Va.) two-out double and a Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) run-scoring knock.

The Bruins made it three-for-three with run-scoring innings as Preston Cox walked to open the inning, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a Kyle Prouse hit. An errand pickoff throw allowed Prouse to go all the way to third then a wild pitch brough him home as the score was 4-2 entering the home half. GC swiftly got one back on a Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) single then an RBI-triple to left-center for Dark. Smith leveled the score with a single then advanced two bags on wild pitches before Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) just placed a floater on the right-field line, allowing Smith to score and giving GC the lead.

From there, John Yarnovich (Summerfield, N.C.), who got the final out of the third, then Reilan Vickrey (Greensboro, N.C.), and Braden Bradford (Jamestown, N.C.) shut the door, permitting just a single and a walk combined over the final four innings to close out a 5-4 win and sweep of Bob Jones.

Guilford hosts Southern Virginia University for a midweek contest next on Tuesday, February 24^th at 2:00 PM.

#GoQuakes