GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College baseball team (9-11, 1-6 ODAC) hung with No. 3 nationally ranked University of Lynchburg (15-3-1, 6-0-1 ODAC) in the early game, falling late, 6-5 prior to getting run-ruled, 17-2 in seven innings in the second contest, suffering a sweep in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play at Edgar H. McBane Field on Saturday afternoon.

Neither starter factored into the game one decision. Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) was really good, for the hosts, rebounding from a shaky open to his outing to complete his third-straight quality start, throwing 6.2 innings allowing three runs on just four hits and two walks, striking out five Hornets. Lynchburg hurler Tyler Kaltreider also was much better after a difficult beginning of his start, lasting 5.2 frames permitting five runs on ten hits and a couple walks, striking out six along the way.

In relief, Ranes Denman (Houston, Texas) ended up on the hook allowing an eighth inning sacrifice fly, falling to 0-1. Colin McGuire improved to 2-1 for the guests with the game one victory after completing the final 3.0 frames of shutout baseball.

Offensively, GC's runs were provided by two sources, Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) and Trae Pitts (Land O' Lakes, Fla.). Pitts was great atop the lineup, going 3-5 with a steal, a run scored and two driven in. Pegues, meanwhile, did his damage on a single swing, a three-run home run, later adding a double in a 3-5 performance. At the bottom of the lineup, Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) and Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) were productive with a couple hits each. Fleming also walked to reach three times, scoring one run while one of George's hits was a double, also scoring once. Finally, Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) had two hits and scored a run in the early game.

The top-two batters for the Hornets proved tough for Guilford as Brandon Garcia and Ben Jones combined for four of their five RBI's. Garcia finished 2-3 with two walks and a homerun, scoring once. Jones also had a couple walks but just one hit, making it count as a game-tying two-run single. Kyle Flora drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly and Sean Pokorak was the only Lynchburg hitter besides Garcia with multiple hits, going 2-4 with a run scored.

The guests were all over Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) in the late game, dropping him to 0-4 by tagging him for eight runs, six earned, on six hits and five walks against two strikeouts over just 3.0 innings and the bullpen did not fare much better. Nick Mattfield got the start for Lynchburg, tossing 5.0 frames of two-run baseball, allowing four hits and four walks against two Ks to up his season mark to 2-1.

Pitts only had two at-bats in the late game, but picked up a hit in one of them, coming around to score. Cole Price (Summerfield, N.C.) pinch ran and scored the other Quaker run in the late one. Pegues was productive in both plate appearances with a hit and a sacrifice fly and Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was also 1-1 albeit with a walk, driving in a run.

A bunch of Hornets had big days in the late game, including Garcia who scored four times and drove in a run without the benefit of a hit, specifically by drawing three walks. Jones' huge afternoon continued, going 3-5 with a walk and two doubles, scoring three runs and driving in five. Quinn Madden went 2-3 with a home run and three RBI while Joe Munitz reached in all his plate appearances with a couple walks plus a hit, scoring twice and driving in one.

GAME 1      
Brandon Garcia got Lynchburg on the board straight away, pulling the games third pitch down the line and over the rightfield foul pole for his first home run of the season. The guests were not done against Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) either, with Ben Jones taking a walk and taking second on a wild pitch before a Quinn Madden fielders choice deep in the shortstop hole put men on the corners. They proceeded to get a run on a first-and-third double steal to make the score 2-0 before a Quaker picked up a bat.

Guilford had an immediate answer during their turn at bat with Trae Pitts (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) jumping the first pitch from Tyler Kaltreider and ripping it under the second baseman for a leadoff single. A couple batters later Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) placed a perfect bunt to put a pair of men for Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.), and he cashed in. Falling behind in the count, Kaltreider left a 2-0 pitch over the heart of the plate to the sophomore, and he did not miss it, crushing one over the Greensboro Monster just to the left of the scoreboard, thrusting GC into the lead, 3-2 with his third homer of the year.

Tacking on another in the second with a two-out rally, Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) clobbered a ball over the head of the centerfielder for a double, turning over the lineup and like his first trip, Pitts jumped on the first one he saw getting one through the middle to plate the run and extend the lead.

Royals settled in after the first, retiring eight consecutive Hornets from the final out of the first through the first out of the fourth, but Lynchburg put together a threat after snapping the spell. Joe Munitz drew a walk then took second on a great dirtball read, but the Quakers righty bared down, getting a rollover to third then some help as Kyle Flora hit one on the screws, but George dove to his backhand side to make a run-saving grab.

The game's next big moment came in the sixth with GC flipping the lineup over on a Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) four-pitch walk and a George single through the left side. That set up Pitts who came through again, punching a single the other way to score Fleming, and while the Quakers left two in scoring position later in the inning, they were outside of a bloop and a blast at 5-2.

Into the seventh, Royals kept dealing, getting the first out before Sean Pokorak tucked a single inside of third, taking second on a steal and third on a groundout. A Hornets pinch hitter brought left-handed hitting Eli Carroll to the plate and brought change on the mound as Royals' impressive day came to a close, with Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) entering. Unfortunately, the GC bullpen could not hold on as the southpaw walked the first three Lynchburg batters he faced, with the final one, drawn by Garcia, forcing in a run. The inning's third out remained elusive as Jones made it a new game with a single through the right side, plating a pair. Ranes Denman (Houston, Texas) entered and halted the rally, but the game was suddenly even at five-all.

Lynchburg took the lead in the top of the eighth putting runners on the corners on hits by Munitz and Pokorak. Flora capitalized with a sacrifice fly, and the guests had seized their first lead since the first, 6-5. They threatened for more, putting two on with one out in the ninth as GC turned to Hayden Sekanick (Tampa, Fla.). He wiggled out of it, when Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) threw out Garcia trying to steal third before striking out one of the ODAC's best run-producers, Jack Pokorak, swinging keep the score where it was. Unfortunately, despite getting the potential winning run to the plate in the ninth in Pegues, the Quakers could not get even or ahead, falling 6-5.

GAME 2
Lynchburg got on the board nearly as quick in game two as they did in game one. Brandon Garcia led off, reaching on an error and Ben Jones picked him up right away, bashing a double to left-center to plate the unearned run. Productive outs by Jack Pokorak and Quinn Madden got in Jones with another unearned tally, and while the guests threatened for more, Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) escaped the jam, down 2-0.

Guilford did get one back in the home half getting another leadoff single from Trae Pitts (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) followed by walks drawn by Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) and Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.), loading the bases with no outs. Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) got one home with a sacrifice fly, but that is all the Quakers would get and the Hornets responded by going right back to work. A couple walks opened the inning before a couple of dirtball reads put them both in scoring position. Pokorak picked them up with a single, to double the Lynchburg run total and make the score 4-1.

The guests doubled their run total again in the third with a Kyle Flora sacrifice fly and a Jones three-run double. GC got one back on a Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) RBI single but a Madden solo homerun countered in the top of the fourth off Camden McCandless (Burlington, N.C.). The Hornets were far from finished, too, scoring seven more runs on three hit batsmen, three walks, a wild pitch, and just two hits in the inning as the game got out of hand.

The highlights the rest of the way for the Quakers were a cluster of season and career debuts and firsts with the final tallies finishing at 17-2.

The Quakers head over to Rocky Mount, N.C. next to matchup with North Carolina Wesleyan University on Wednesday, March 25^th at 2:00 PM.

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