WINCHESTER, Va. — On a brisk Sunday afternoon at Rotary Field, the Guilford College softball team (12-20, 3-11 ODAC) dropped both games of a doubleheader to Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) opponent Shenandoah University (14-16, 8-8 ODAC), falling 3-0 in game one and 5-0 in the second. The Quakers were held scoreless across 14 innings despite a few promising offensive stretches.
Game One:
Game one was a tightly contested pitchers' duel early, but a third-inning burst from the Hornets proved to be the difference.
Shiloh Gray (Lexington, N.C.) went the distance in the circle, striking out eight across six innings, but surrendered three earned runs on six hits and three walks to fall to 4-7 on the season. The Hornets' Brooke Sexton earned the win (4-7), tossing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Taylor Smith came on in relief to collect the save, pitching two innings of shutout ball.
Offensively, the Quakers recorded just two hits, coming from Gray herself in the third and
Kalissa Williams (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) in the sixth. Guilford had opportunities to score, most notably in the third inning when they loaded the bases. After Gray singled and
Riley Murrish (Boerne, Texas) walked, Williams added a base on balls to set the table. However, a flyout to right stranded all three runners.
Shenandoah broke the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the third. After back-to-back two-out hits, an RBI double by Madison Cox and another from Riley Blumenschein, the Hornets claimed a 2-0 lead. In the fifth, Cameron Rieg tacked on insurance with a solo home run to left.
Despite aggressive base running, including stolen bases by
Chloee Stoner (Salisbury, N.C.),
Brooke Goyings (Lake Villa, Ill.), and pinch-runner
Alyssa Daniel (Spring Lake, N.C.), Guilford couldn't string together the hits needed to convert.
Game Two:
In the second contest, Shenandoah wasted no time putting runs on the board, capitalizing on three Guilford errors in the first inning to score four unearned runs. Guilford starter
Abbey Whelan (Gaithersburg, Md.) lasted four innings, allowing five runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits and three walks. Despite a strong effort, Whelan was tagged with the loss, dropping her record to 4-7 on the season.
Dillon Northen (Kernersville, N.C.) came on in relief and pitched two clean innings with just one hit allowed. Madison Gaskins picked up the win (6-3) for Shenandoah, pitching 5.1 shutout innings before giving way to Smith, who once again secured the save.
Offensively, Guilford managed five hits, with
Olivia Shelton (Stokesdale, N.C.) and Gray leading the way with two apiece. Gray's single in the first and another in the sixth put runners in scoring position, but the Quakers struggled to convert, leaving eight runners on base.
The Hornets added their final run in the fourth inning after another stolen base and an RBI single by Rieg, extending the lead to 5-0. Despite several substitutions and a late-game rally attempt in the sixth, which loaded the bases, Guilford was unable to break through.
Softball will look to bounce back on Wednesday, April 16, when the Quakers travel to Randolph College for another ODAC doubleheader. Start time for both contests are set for 2 PM and 4 PM.
#GoQuakes
