GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College baseball team (12-14, 3-8 ODAC) had No. 6 nationally ranked Shenandoah University (24-4, 9-4 ODAC) on the ropes, but could not finish the job in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) on Friday afternoon, falling 12-11 at Edgar H. McBane Field.

Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) was stellar in this one, holding the ODAC's most-potent lineup to just two runs on seven hits while fanning five without a walk or hit batsman over 6.0 innings. Posting his fourth quality start in his last five outings, he got the run support he had been lacking in some recent outings, but unfortunately the Quaker bullpen let him down, allowing a nine-run lead to slip away and the man who ended up on the hook was Izaac McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.). The graduate student fell to 1-2 after blowing the save, failing to get an out and allowing four runs on four hits and a walk.

GC's offense knocked around Nick Bell to the tune of eight hits plus a walk and a HBP while he only struck out two over 4.0-plus innings. All that led to just three runs, though and he ended up off the hook. As his offense got back in the game, Avery Schaeffer ended up being the beneficiary for the Hornets, getting the win after throwing a scoreless eighth improving to 1-0. Liam Stewart then tossed perfect ninth to complete his fifth save.

Offensively, Guilford reached the mid-to-high teens for hits for the third time this week, racking up 18 as a team, though just two for extra-bases. One of those XBH was a double by Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) who went 3-4 and was hit by a pitch twice, scoring two times and driving in one. Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) also hit a double in a 3-4 showing with an RBI and a walk. The star of the day was Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) who had a career-game, finishing 4-4 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in three for the Quakers. Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) was also strong, going 3-6, scoring thrice, and driving in one while Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) went 2-5 with two runs scored and two driven in.

Tyler Smith hit a pair of home runs, finishing 3-5 and driving in seven runs for the Hornets. Kyle Garrett also clubbed a longball in a 3-5, scoring on another occasion. JP Williams hit a couple doubles, scoring twice and driving in one and Dillon Mauzy also scored twice, doubling as a part of a 2-4 game with an RBI.

Both offenses put together scoring threats in each of the first three innings of this one. Shenandoah's best chance was in the second on a Mauzy leadoff single advancing to third due to an error. Royals worked out of it, though, inducing a soft lineout to second followed by a pair of K's, storming off the mound, shouting in satisfaction. The Quakers put two on with one out in the first, two in scoring position with two outs in the second, but their best threat was the third. Putting men on the corners with one out as Rodrigues got hit by a pitch then Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) dumped a single allowing Rodrigues to go first-to-third two batters later, however a double play extinguished the threat.

Guilford would be the first to breakthrough in the fourth inning. Fleming led off, working a free pass on five pitches, advancing all the way to third on a wild pitch with some great, heads-up baserunning. The first out was recorded then Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) came through, doing a job with two strikes and lifting a ball just deep enough to center to score Fleming and claim a lead for GC. The Quakers added on in the fifth with Rodrigues ambushing the first pitch of the inning and cracking it off the base of the wall in center for a double. Dark picked him up two pitches later lining a clean single into center, ending Bell's outing early. GC's offense was unfazed by the change to Jacob Gilbert, as after the right-hander picked up a K, he issued a walk and four of the next six men connected on RBI-singles with a sacrifice fly and a walk also mixed in. All-told, the home team racked up six runs on six hits and a couple walks in the frame, opening a 7-0 advantage.

SU would get a couple back in the sixth. Garrett opened by bashing the first pitch of the frame over the Greensboro Monster for his second home run of the season. Williams followed a couple batters later, hooking a double inside of third then Tyler Smith flipped a single over third, scoring a second run. Guilford countered, though, with Rylan Smith taking a one-out walk, followed by four-straight singles, and while one of them saw Fleming get thrown out at home, Myers and George each drove in runs with their hits as the lead was back to seven, now 9-2.

GC put their guests into a corner in the seventh. Getting two in scoring position on a hit batsman and a hit followed by a sacrifice bunt, Fleming plated both runs with a hit into right field, but the ball scooted by the right fielder, Garrett, going all the way to the wall. Getting to third and with the chance to end the game and activate the run rule, Fleming looked to score himself but unfortunately, the throw beat him and he was retired in a short rundown, with the score now 11-2.

The inability to get that 12^th run home ended up being pivotal, as given a sliver of daylight, Shenandoah busted the door in, scoring six runs in the top of the eighth with an RBI double by JP Williams, Tyler Smith's 10^th homerun of the season, a three-run shot, and a Jaime Padilla two-run double, plating a pair of unearned runs, cutting the deficit to 11-8. In the ninth, McGuire could not get an out, as they got four hits against the fifth-year, including a go-ahead three-run homerun for Smith, his second of the game. A walk and pitching change followed and Reilan Vickrey (Greensboro, N.C.) kept the score where it was, but GC went down quietly against Stewart, finishing the game in a 12-11 score.

The Quakers finish up their split weekend set with the Hornets tomorrow, Saturday, April 4^th, right back at McBane Field with first pitch set for noon.

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