GREENSBORO, N.C. – The celebration of Senior Day Saturday spilled onto Edgar H. McBane Field with Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) dumping a walkoff single in the opening game before bashing a tandem of home runs in the late contest for the Guilford College baseball team (18-17, 6-11 ODAC), en route to an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) sweep, 14-13 and 16-6 in seven innings over Eastern Mennonite University (9-23, 1-16 ODAC) on Saturday afternoon.

Pregame, the Quakers recognized seniors, Reese Baker (Ashland, Va.), Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii), Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.), Landon Haines (Sanford, N.C.), Malakie Harris (Spencer, N.C.), Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.), Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.), Connor Sinclair (North Augusta, S.C.), and Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) as well as Izaac McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.) for their contributions and efforts as members of the baseball program.

Come game one, however, the bats went crazy. Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) was really off in game one, lasting just 3.2 innings allowing nine runs, eight earned, on 12 hits, two walks, and two hit batsmen in a no decision. At least he got a few outs, which is more than his starting counterpart, Ryan Gimbel can say after the right-hander allowed three hits and walked two, finishing responsible for four runs before getting a quick hook for EMU.

Instead, in a contest that featured 13 pitchers, six Quakers and seven Royals, it all came down to the finish. Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) allowed an unearned run for a tough-luck blown save, but then got the victory thanks to the walkoff after allowing a hit and an intentional walk against one K to improve to 5-1. Austin Carter pitched well in the eighth, but a couple hits and a hit batsman in the ninth sunk hi to 0-1.

Rodrigues continued his monster week at the plate, going 3-5 with a walk, scoring a career-high four runs and driving in another. Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) hit the only Quaker extra-base hit in the early game, a triple, scoring twice and driving in a run. GC's run production in the contest was extremely balanced, with all-nine starters, plus Aidan McCandless (Burlington, N.C.) recording at least one RBI. The only man with multiple ended up being Smith, who finished 2-4 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in a trio. Fleming also scored a trio of runs in the contest.

Dalton Rocke bashed a pair of home runs to deliver five RBI's for the guests in game one. Trevor Gjormand had a trio of hits in five trips, scoring once while Hady Bruno also finished 3-5 with a HBP, scoring thrice and driving in one. Noah Sanderson had two hits, RBIs, and runs scored for EMU.

The game two starters were also moderately effective, though compared to game one they pitched like certified aces and both factored into the decision this time around. Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) got his first Quakers win on the hill after allowing six runs, four earned, on seven hits, three walks, and a hit batsman, striking out three to improve to 1-5. Luke Tilley fell to 0-1 for the Royals, allowing seven runs, all earned, on six hits and a walk, fanning two in 0.2 innings.

Unlike game one, GC's RBI's were clustered between a handful of men. Smith hit a grand slam as a part of a 3-3 with a double, five RBI and three runs scored. George's two homers were a part of a 3-4 with three runs scored and three driven in. McCandless drove in three runs, Dark plated two over three hits and Grayson Hobson (Quinton, Va.) added a couple more RBIs with a hit in reserve.

Daniel McGuinnis finished 3-4 with a couple doubles, driving in two and scoring two for EMU. Michael Duncan scored three runs after reaching on two hits, including a double, and a walk. Erik Wilkinson and Rocke also drove in a pair of tallies each with Wilkinson scoring once.

GAME 1
One of just seven scoreless half innings of the 18 played in game one, came in the top of the first as Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) navigated a hit and a walk and the bats went right to work. Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) singled and stole second, then Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) knocked him home. Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) tripled into left-center to extend the lead ahead of a Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) walk and steal and a Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) base on balls, loading the bases and bringing a quick end to Ryan Gimbel's day. Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) brought in a run on a fielders choice, Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) plated another with a sac fly, and the Quakers led 4-0.

EMU got an unearned run in the second but GC countered with a Rodrigues single, advancement on a groundout, steal of third, and score on a wild pitch. Then in the third, a Noah Sanderson singles scored two runs for the guests, making it a two-run game, though a Chinen sacrifice fly made it a three-run game again in home half. The floodgates really opened in the fourth, unfortunately. With one out, the Royals got a walk, single, single, two-run double by Trevor Selph, a Hady Bruno RBI single, tie the game before Dalton Rocke silenced the Quaker bench with a go-ahead three-run homer off Royals, his fifth of the year. Another out then a hit ended the junior's evening, turning to John Yarnovich (Summerfield, N.C.) who finished the fourth then tossed a scoreless fifth, but the tallies were 9-6.

The Quakers posted a six-run frame of their own in the fifth. The inning started quietly with an Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) single between the first-two outs, but Guilford refused to let the inning end. Rodrigues singled and Dark walked, loading the bases, then Pegues worked a free pass to force in a run and force a pitching change. Ben Knutsson entered, allowed a two-run single to Smith, tying the game, then a walk to Fleming and an RBI hit by pitch of Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.). Another change on the hill brought in Carter Mills who got out of it, but not before issuing a bases loaded walk to Aidan McCandless (Burlington, N.C.) and another run on a passed ball.

The guests leveled things in the sixth. Rocke hit a two-run homer, his sixth of the season, off Yarnovich before a single, a steal, and another single put men on the corners with no outs and GC turned to Izaac McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.). He induced a nifty two-ball turned by George and Fleming, although it scored the tying run, but got out of it. In the home half, the Quakers filled the bases and got a Smith sacrifice fly to grab the lead back though before the pitching finally settled in.

Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) tossed a one-two-three seventh and Hayden Sekanick (Tampa, Fla.) matched him in the eighth before turning to Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) for the ninth. The lefty allowed an Aidan Miller single, but it should not have mattered because he had the EMU shortstop all but picked off a few pitches later. However, Sam Melton (Cartersville, Ga.) spiked the throw to second to finish the putout, then scored on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt by Michael Duncan, that put Duncan on third. Barwick escaped, though, getting a flyout, a strikeout, and after an intentional walk, a fielders choice to send it to the bottom of the ninth, tied at 13.

Fleming singled on the first pitch, Myers tried to sacrifice himself, but instead got plunked for the second time in the game. Melton redeemed himself with a successful sac bunt then George floated a single into center, scoring Fleming for the walk-off winner, 14-13.

GAME 2
Game two had far less drama. EMU scored a couple off Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) via a Daniel McGinnis RBI double and Erik Wilkinson RBI-triple in the top of the first before the Quakers slugged their way in front. Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) led off with a single, Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) doubled and Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) singled in a run. That was just the appetizer, though, as after Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) walked to load the bases, Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) unloaded on the first pitch he saw from Luke Tilley for his fifth home run of the season, a go-ahead grand slam for his fifth homer of the year. After a couple Ks on either side of a single, Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) cleared the Greensboro Monster with a 1-0 pitch for his second homer of the spring, padding the Quaker advantage to 7-2.

After EMU got one back on a McGinnis RBI double in the third, Guilford added on in the bottom half. A couple singled and a sacrifice set up an Aidan McCandless (Burlington, N.C.) two-run single then after a hit, put men on the corners, Chinen dropped down a safety squeeze. Royals pitcher, Nash Withers, had McCandless dead to rights at the plate after fielding it cleanly as McCandless even tried to stop and back-track, but slipped and fell in the process. But Withers threw it away allowing the run to score anyways. Dark drove in another later in the frame with an RBI-single, as the lead was up to 11-3.

McCandless' second run-scoring single in as many innings, this time only bringing in a single run, tacked on another in the fourth before a bit of a surge by the Royals. An HBP and single put men on the corners before a botched fielders choice kept the outs at zero as Dalton Rocke doubled in a pair, ending Sendziak's outing. With the game teetering on the bring of getting crazy again, Braden Wilkie (Cornelius, N.C.) instead shut it down, hitting a batter but escaping the inning without any further damage before going the following five outs without a run allowed, giving the Quaker offense a chance to put it away and they would do their part.

An error, walk, and bunt single loaded the bases in the fifth, before Grayson Hobson (Quinton, Va.) singled in two and Smith hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Then in the sixth, George turned on a 3-2 pitch and kept it inside the pole above the Greensboro Monster for his second longball of the game and third of the spring, getting the game into run-rule territory. The advantage also allowed Guilford to grant a few guys Senior Day nods, including to Connor Sinclair (North Augusta, S.C.), who entered and got the final out of the seventh in a 16-6 run-rule win in seven innings.

It will be another important ODAC clash next for Guilford as they head north to battle Roanoke College on Tuesday, April 21^st. The game will be played at Radford University with first pitch set for 4:00 PM.

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