GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College baseball team (7-7, 0-2 ODAC) fought through their 27^th out, but ultimately could not overcome Muskingum University (4-6, 0-0 OAC), 7-6 at Edgar H. McBane Field on Tuesday afternoon.

Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) was decent, with four scoreless frames yielding to four runs in his final-two stanzas as he took the loss to fall to 3-3. The senior's line finished at 6.0 innings allowing four runs, all earned, on nine hits and one walk with one strikeout.

The Fighting Muskies went with Gavin Schultz, who only allowed two hits but also walked five to permit two runs, one earned, over 4.2 innings in a no decision. Instead, Carter Williamson got the win after going the ensuing 1.2 frames and while he allowed a couple runs on five hits and a walk, he improved to 1-0. Blake Williams entered in the ninth and allowed a couple inherited runners to score but did snuff out a Quaker rally to lock down his first save.

Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) was brilliant, playing a role in half of GC's runs in this one, bashing a solo homerun in addition to one other run scored and RBI in a 3-4 outing. Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) reached three times on a single and a couple walks, scoring twice and Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) came off the bench to draw a walk and hit a two-bagger, driving in a couple runs in the contest.

Brandon Barnette and Sam Palmieri each bashed two-run homers for the guests with the latter adding a double in the game. Grant Mellerson racked up a 3-5 showing with a steal, a run scored and two driven in while Josh Beavon also had three hits and an RBI for the guests.

The Fighting Muskies came mere feet away from a rapid run in the first, after Mellerson reached on a Sam Melton (Cartersville, N.C.) error then stole second base. Palmieri followed by absolutely torching a ball to dead center and over the head of Hayden Sekanik (Tampa, Fla.). On the difficult read, Mellerson got a late break and with a textbook relay from Sekanik to Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) to Myers, GC cut down the run at the plate. Palmieri took third on the play throw home, but Ricigliano picked up a K and a groundout to escape the threat. In turn, the Quakers instead took the lead in their half. Smith got it going with a two-strike single, was forced to second on a George walk and got third on a Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) double play. Following another walk, the ball popped out of the catcher's mitt and away allowing Smith to dart home with the initial run.

Guilford tacked on a second tally in the second, when Myers and Melton took bases on balls, Sekanik sacrificed them up with a bunt and Smith ended up on the other side of the run production, this time lifting a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Myers and making the score 2-0. Ricigliano had settled in, sitting down seven-straight from the final out of the second through the fourth, but Muskingum figured him out in the fifth. Olly Schrader and Ethan Bush flipped over the lineup with singles on either side of the first out. On Bush's knock, Schrader went first-to-third and the Quaker defense got a little jumpy, throwing through to third allowing Bush to advance into scoring position on the backside of the play. Mellerson made it sting, slipping a single back through the box to chase in both runs and level the score at two-all.

The Quakers routinely got a bunch of traffic and loud contact, but just kept finding gloves, failing to retake the lead before the Fighting Muskies took the advantage in the sixth. Jackson Duchesne beat out an infield single and after the first out, Barnette ambushed the first pitch he saw and cleared the Greensboro Monster with a two-run homerun, his first of the season, thrusting the guests in front. They followed by doubling their advantage in the seventh, with Palmieri crushing a Reilan Vickery (Greensboro, N.C.) offering out to dead center for his third longball of the spring, making it 6-2 on the board.

Smith seized some momentum for GC, hitting his first McBane Field homerun in over a calendar year to right-center to open the seventh, and they rode it. Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) ripped a pinch hit single, and was run for by Taylor Granitzki (Manteo, N.C.) then Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) picked up a knock of his own a couple batters later. A Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) hit between first and second followed to score Granitzki, making it a two-run game and an Aidan McCandless (Burlington, N.C.) pinch hit walk filled the bases, putting the tying run in scoring position and go-ahead tally on base. Unfortunately, in what had been the theme of the day, Myers ripped one, but straight into the glove of Palieri at third. He trotted to the bag to double off Pegues and extinguish the threat.

Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) did keep the game at bay for GC, allowing just a single unearned run when Jasper Owens reached on a two-base error to open the eighth, scoring on a Beavon hit to extend the lead and that insurance tally made all the difference. Guilford got the tying run to the plate in the eighth but nothing came of it before they rallied in the ninth. Shoemaker took ball four in between the first-two outs with Jackson Shaner (Pittsboro, N.C.) running for him. Myers kept it alive with a free pass then Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) rolled one to short, but it was booted, loading the bases and keeping the Quakers alive. Chinen, who had entered to hit in the eighth, followed with his fourth double in the last five games, bringing in a pair as it was suddenly a one-run game. With the winning run already in scoring position, the Fighting Muskies intentionally walked Smith in favor of facing Caleb Coggins (Trinity, N.C.) and unfortunately, the freshman went down hacking, finalizing the score at 7-6.

It is back to Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action next for Guilford, as they play their first league contests at McBane Field of the new campaign, hosting Hampden-Sydney College on Saturday, March 14^th. Game one is scheduled for a noon first pitch.

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