GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College baseball team (7-9, 0-4 ODAC) could not right the ship at Edgar H. McBane Field on Saturday, as the offence had trouble win men on and the defense was a bit loose, dropping a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) contests, 7-4 and 6-2 to Hampden-Sydney College (10-6, 4-0 ODAC).

Neither starter factored into the game one decision as Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) tossed his second-consecutive quality start, finishing 6.0 innings and allowing three runs, though only one was earned. He got some help from a couple runners caught stealing during his time on the mound, as he navigated seven hits, three walks, and a hit batsman while fanning three in the no decision. Sterling Austin would not have qualified for the win regardless as the Tiger righty lasted 4.2 innings allowing three runs, all earned, on five hits, two walks, and an HBP, striking out three during his time on the bump.

The early one instead came down to the bullpens with Noah Lewis entering and shutting things down for the guests, throwing the final 4.1 innings and allowing just a single unearned run on three hits and two walks, fanning eight to get the win and improve to 2-1. Izaac McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.) was the first reliever the Quakers deployed and ended up on the hook to fall to 1-1 after allowing a lone unearned tally on a hit in his 1.0 inning of work.

Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) paced the Quaker offense in game one, finishing 3-5 and driving in half of his team's runs on singles. Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) had GC's lone extra-base hit, knocking in the other two Guilford runs with a double in a 2-4 outing. Cole Price (Summerfield, N.C.), finished hitless but drew a walk and scored a couple times in the doubleheader opener.

Connor Powell gave GC pitching fits in the early game, going 3-4 including a pair of doubles and a walk, he stole three bases and scored four times. Despite scoring seven runs, H-SC compiled just three RBIs in the game with Greer Farr, Jase Howell, and defensive replacement, Hunter Langston driving in one apiece. Howell was the lone Tiger besides Powell with multiple hits, finishing 2-5 while Farr's RBI came on a double.

Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) gave GC five strong frames though he was plagued by the third inning, when H-SC scored all three runs that he permitted. Overall, the right-hander allowed eight hits but only walked one and etched six K's but took the defeat to fall to 0-3.

Erratic early and running up a big pitch count, Brady Wilson settled in for the guests and ended up making it 5.2 innings of one-run ball allowing seven hits, a walk, and an HBP, fanning a pair. He did enough to claim the win and improve to 4-1 for the Tigers. The only reliever the guests used in the late contest, Jacob Williams got credit for his fourth save the long way, allowing just four baserunners on a HBP, an error, and a couple walks leading to a solo run while striking out four across the final 3.1 innings.

The Quakers were strong at the turn of the lineup, as Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) and Connor Griffin (Fort Mill, S.C.) were the only two men to record multiple game two hits for GC. Fleming tossed a walk into his performance and scored a run while Griffin doubled among his two knocks, driving in a run. CJ Buchan (Williamsburg, Va.) singled, walked, and scored once and Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) finished a quiet doubleheader by walking and driving in one with a sacrifice fly.

Powell continued his great day at the dish, doubling and stealing a base in his 2-4 contest. The Quakers could not get Mason Lester out in the late game, as he finished 2-2 with a double, a couple walks, a run scored, and one driven in. Chase Sanford tripled among his pair of RBI-hits while Matthew Kim walked and had a hit, scoring twice as well.

GAME 1      
Hampden-Sydney took advantage of a fourth out that Guilford gifted them in the first. A strikeout then a single followed by a caught stealing represented the first-two outs of the inning before Connor Powell drew a walk and took second on an excellent dirtball read. Greer Farr followed by rolling over what should have been the third out to first base but an error put runners on the corners, and Jase Howell made it pay, slipping a single up the middle to open the scoring. The Quakers responded immediately, though, with Cole Price (Summerfield, N.C.) working a free pass with one out, taking second on a swinging bunt, and coming home on a Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) single back through the box, leveling things at one-all.

Another Guilford miscue allowed a run in the second as with two outs, Noah Leonard got hit by a pitch and Sam Vick took a walk putting two aboard. Chase Sanford chopped one towards the middle and off Quaker leather, permitting another unearned tally to cross the plate and putting them back in front, 2-1, but things settled down from there as both Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) and Sterling Austin found a bit of a rhythm for a couple of frames.

That trend maintained until the home half of the fourth when GC began barreling up Austin. Hard-hit singles by Rodrigues and Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) straddled another rocket, albeit one that the second baseman, Gavin Smith knocked down and was able to turn into a fielders choice. After a wild pitch advanced both men, Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) picked them up, absolutely demolishing a pitch off the Greensboro Monster for a go-ahead, two-run double.

H-SC immediately got even as Powell and Farr ripped doubles on the first-two pitches Royals delivered in the fifth, leveling things at three. Farr got to third on a wild pitch and Howell hit one sharply but right to Price on the ground and with the infield in, Farr got caught in no-mans land so with some astute defensive work the hosts were able to cut down to potential go-ahead run at the plate, and while Howell took second on the play, Royals was able to wiggle out of the inning with the score still level.

Hampden-Sydney's third unearned tally of the game put them back in front for good in the seventh. Powell led off with a single, proceeded to steal second and third, and on the second theft, Myers' throw got away down the line, allowing Powell to dart home and put the Tigers in the driver's seat. They extended in the eighth when Braden Bradford (Jamestown, N.C.) entered, allowed a walk then a hit batsman, a productive out advanced the runners and then a wild pitch got far away from Myers and two Tigers crossed the plate on the same wild one. Then in the ninth, they tacked on one more on a Powell leadoff double, a sacrifice bunt then Hunter Langston legged out an infield hit, lifting the score out of save territory.

Noah Lewis who had relieved Austin and finished the fifth, was in the process of shutting down Guilford until the ninth. Price fanned but a passed ball allowed him to reach as opposed to being the 27^th out. He went first-to-third on a Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) hit and scored on Rodrigues' third knock of the contest, but all that served to do was bring the final score to 7-4.

GAME 2
The top of the Quakers lineup worked deep counts and generated traffic in the first, racking up a hit and a couple walks, although no runs, but the quality plate appearances continued in the second against Brady Wilson, and a tally was the result. CJ Buchan (Williamsburg, Va.) fought back from an 0-2 hole to work a walk before a Sam Melton (Cartersville, Ga.) single to left. That set up Connor Griffin (Fort Mill, S.C.) who picked up his first RBI as a Quaker, slipping a single through the middle to put the hosts in front 1-0 through two.

The Tigers struck right back as Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) got ahead but lost the eight-hole hitter, Mason Lester with a walk. Three-consecutive singles off the bats of Matthew Kim, Chase Sanford, and Connor Powell ensued, yielding a pair of runs before a strikeout for the first out. During the proceeding of the K, an errand pickoff to second allowed both runners to advance, and Seth Truesdale made it sting by flipping an RBI single into right as the guests claimed a 3-1 lead after three innings.

Things quieted until the sixth when the Tigers took advantage of loose Quaker defense again. Ranes Denman (Houston, Texas) got the first-two outs in just four pitches, on a groundout and a K, and Kennen Lewis rolled one over to short for what should have been the third out, but it was botched. Lewis then stole second, advanced to third on the second GC error on his trip around the bases, this one on the throw, and Lester cashed it in with a run scoring double. The guests repeated it in the seventh, Connor Powell got hit by a pitch from Connor Sinclair (North Augusta, S.C.) stole second on a confusing play when the umpires originally said Greer Farr took ball four, but it was actually just three balls and he was permitted to stay. He then took third on a wild pitch on the actual fourth ball, putting Tigers on the corners. GC did sniff out a first-and-third double steal and cut down a run at the plate, but after an E6, a sacrifice fly brought in run number-five. Kim scored on a Sanford triple in the eighth before Guilford scratched together a run in the ninth on consecutive walks drawn by Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) and Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.), a Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) sacrifice bunt, and a Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) sacrifice fly, bringing the final score to 6-2.

GC ventures about an hour down the road to Misenheimer, N.C. to battle with Pfeiffer University next on Tuesday, March 17^th. First pitch is set for 4:00 PM.

#GoQuakes