GREENSBORO, N.C. – Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) and Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) crushed homeruns clear of the Edgar H. McBane Field fence headlining a season-high scoring output for the Guilford College baseball team (7-4, 0-0 ODAC), as they bounced back with an 18-5 run-rule drubbing of Brevard College (7-5, 0-0 USA South) on Wednesday afternoon in their final warmup before Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play.

The beneficiary of ample run support on this afternoon, Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) picked up his first win of the season to improve to 1-0. The junior southpaw was solid, completing just 4.0 innings though the early finish made him eligible for the win after allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits without a walk, striking out two.

A clean first yielded to a brutal second inning for Tornado starter Andy Fahringer, ending responsible for six runs on five hits and a couple of walks. His offense never got him off the hook dropping to 1-1.

Instead of a consistent effort, the Quakers offense did all their damage with monster innings in the second, third, and sixth with Dark playing a starring role in all-three rallies. His fortune was so strong on this day that he even reached on a wild pitch the lone time he was retired, finishing 3-4 with a walk and his homer, scoring three times and driving in four. Pegues saw stronger results from his quality at-bats on this day compared to Tuesday, going 1-3 with a couple free passes, scoring twice and driving in three. CJ Buchan (Williamsburg, Va.) was tremendous anchoring the back-half of the Guilford nine, collecting a trio of doubles and driving in three in a 3-4 showing that saw him cross the plate twice. With the huge team performance, there were plenty of other notables, including Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) who had a hit and a walk, scoring twice and driving in two for GC.

Davis Anders, Moe Love Jr., and Gavin McCoy all posted near-identical lines highlighting the BC offense with two hits including a double and a run scored apiece though Love Jr. added a couple RBI's and accomplished his line in just three at-bats against four for his teammates. Tyson Hinkle and Logan Sawyer each had a run scored and an RBI as a part of one-hit showings for the guests.

Brevard opened the scoring in the top of the second with an unearned tally when Love Jr. had a one-out single, advanced on a sacrifice bunt then scored with two outs when Caleb Coggins (Trinity, N.C.) yanked his throw to first on what would have been a routine inning-ending groundout.

Guilford countered and then some in the bottom of the frame, getting two aboard quickly on a Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) walk and a Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) single. Sam Melton (Cartersville, Ga.) advanced the lead man with a flyout to right-center before CJ Buchan (Williamsburg, Va.) tucked one under the glove of the third baseman for his first collegiate extra-base hit and a game-tying double. Coggins followed by redeeming himself with a go-ahead single through the drawn-in infield ahead of a pickoff by Fahringer that was thrown down the line, scoring Myers and placing Coggins on third. Cole Price (Summerfield, N.C.) walked and stole second, Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) plated a run with a groundout then Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) did too by dumping a single into left. A pitching change and a Pegues walk ensued ahead of Shoemaker flipping a single over the second baseman in right, reaching for the second time in the inning and making it an even half-dozen Quakers to cross the plate, taking a 6-1 lead through two that they would never relinquish.  

BC got a trio back with a Hinkle run-scoring fielders choice then a Love Jr. two-run double in the top of the third but GC responded in the home half again. Buchan's second double inside third in as many innings got it started, advancing and then scoring on a Price sacrifice fly. Smith walked then Dark fanned with a pitch that should have ended the inning, but instead got to the backstop for a wild pitch allowing him to reach safely. Pegues made it hurt, as after a Tornado pitching change, he turned around a 2-2 offering from the third pitcher he had seen in as many plate appearances, Jonah Campbell, clubbing it clear of the Greensboro Monster for his second homerun of the spring.

Things settled down for a bit from there. Brevard got one back on a Sawyer sacrifice fly in the fifth but GC blew things open in the sixth. Dark and Pegues walked against Gage Granata then Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) ripped a pinch hit single to load the bases. BC got the first out, cutting down the lead runner at home on a fielders choice, but then Melton forced in a run with a free pass. Buchan brought in two, splitting left-center with his third double of the game. Coggins connected on a sacrifice fly then Smith brought home another with a single before Dark put the finishing touches on the rout, tagging a 2-1 pitch and hooking it into the trees beyond the rightfield wall for his first home run of the season. Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) polished things off with a clean top of the seventh, kicking in the run-rule allowing things to wrap up early with a 18-5 score.

With the bats nice and hot, ODAC play is on deck for the Quakers as they will venture up to Virginia Beach, Va. to battle it out with Virginia Wesleyan University in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 7^th. First pitch of game one is set for noon.

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