VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Despite outhitting Virginia Wesleyan University (10-4, 2-0 ODAC) 25-18 and getting strong starting pitching in both contests, the Guilford College baseball team (7-6, 0-2 ODAC) opened Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play on a difficult tone, getting swept, 10-9 in walkoff fashion in game one then getting shutout in the late contest, 7-0 at Perry Field on Saturday.

Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) completed a quality start in the conference opener for GC, finishing 6.0 frames allowing just seven baserunners on five hits, a hit batsman, and an error, although unfortunately the hits were bunched together for the Marlins, resulting in three runs. He did match his career-high, and exceeded a Quaker season-high, with eight strikeouts, but did not factor into the decision. Neither did VWU starter, Brandon Drewry, as the Quakers ran up his pitch count and forced a change after 5.0 innings. He delt with a ton of traffic, allowing eight hits and one walk, but all that yielded just two runs, one earned in the no decision.

Instead, things got crazy late in the early contest with Braden Bradford (Jamestown, N.C.) blowing the save and getting tagged with the loss to fall to 0-1 after allowing five of the six men he faced to reach on one hit, two walks, a HBP, and an error, resulting in two runs, one earned. Zach Miller allowed an inherited go-ahead run, but halted a huge GC rally to get the win and improve to 1-0.

Offensively, Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) and Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) led the way again, with each finishing 3-5. Myers hit a solo homerun among his hits while Dark doubled twice, walked once, drove in a run, and scored another. Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) was productive in all-five plate appearances, notching a couple hits, a walk, an HBP, and a sacrifice fly. Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) went 2-6, scoring twice and driving in one as well in a contest that saw eight different Quakers score at least once and eight GC players get an RBI.

Unlike Guilford's balanced run production, the Marlins was clumped together with their two-through-four batters, Gino Meienschein, Marcell Whitfield, and Israel Dozer racking up eight of their team's 10 hits, scoring six times and driving in five. Whitfield went 3-4 and got plunked, doubling, driving in three, and scoring two runs. Meienschein had a couple hits, crossing the plate three times and driving in one and Dozier had three knocks, scoring once and driving in one.

Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) got the ball in game two and put together the best outing of his short time as a Quaker, going 5.0 innings allowing just four hits, plus two walks and an HBP, allowing five runs but only a couple earned in a loss, falling to 0-2. Virginia Wesleyan starter Chase Depalma was outstanding on the other side, going 8.0 shutout frames navigating seven hits and a hit batsman, striking out eight to improve to 1-1.

The Quaker offense never got their feet under them in the late game, as their nine hits were recorded by nine different men. Chinen, Dark, and Myers all had doubles as their knocks.

Nick Valentin lit the spark for VWU in game two, hitting a leadoff homerun and later scoring another time in a 2-4 showing. Meienschein went 2-3 with a HBP, scoring once and driving in one and Reynaldo Perez Mendez also has a couple hits and an RBI for the Marlins.

GAME 1      
In a moment of symmetry, Trevor Myers (Eastampton, N.J.) opened the scoring in the second, introducing himself to the ODAC the same way that he introduced himself to the Quakers back in February, with a longball. He got every stitch of a 2-0 pitch from Brandon Drewry and deposited it beyond the left-centerfield fence for his fifth homer of the year, placing GC in front.

Guilford collected plenty of baserunners, including loading the bases in the third, but they could not add on the next couple of innings though Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) was absolutely dealing, facing just one-over the minimum through three. Virginia Wesleyan finally broke through in the hit and later the runs column in the fourth though. Gino Meienschein got it started with an opposite field single, taking second on a wild pitch then scoring when Marcell Whitfield snuck a single through the shortstop hole to level the tallies. Whitfield stole second then got to third on an Israel Dozer knock before GC conceded the go-ahead run in favor of the double play as Whitfield crossed the plate and the Marlins took the lead, 2-1.

The Quakers immediately tied it up in the top of the fifth, cashing in on a VWU miscue. Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) rolled one over towards short with two outs, but it hit off the heel of Owen Mathews' glove. Smith took second on a great dirtball read and Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) ensured they did not squander the fourth out they were handed, shooting a single to left to even the score at two-all.

The hosts retook the lead in the sixth as Nick Valentin ripped the first pitch of the inning inside the leftfield line for a double, taking third on a wild pitch, and scoring on Whitfield's second RBI single in as many at-bats. An error put two on with just one out, but Royals picked up a strikeout and then a groundout to put the finishing touches on his quality start. VWU pulled away against the Quakers bullpen in the seventh, though, scoring five runs on four hits, a couple HBPs, a walk, and a duo of GC errors, making the score 8-2 which is where it stood into the ninth.

After three innings of impressive work in relief by VWU pitcher Jacob Lawerence, Guilford's offense finally strung some things together with a Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) hit and Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) double followed by RBI hits by Smith and Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) on either side of the first out and a pitching change for the Marlins. Matthew Weber recorded the second out for the hosts then Caleb Coggins (Trinity, N.C.) pinch hit and walked with everyone later advancing on a throwing error by the catcher, including Smith as GC's third run. Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) made it not matter, drawing a walk to load the bases again anyways before Cole Price (Summerfield, N.C.), who pinch hit in the eighth, ripped a single back through the box to bring in a pair and make it a one-run game. Aidan McCandless (Burlington, N.C.) then stepped up in place of Rodrigues and kept the line moving with a single of his own as the Quakers stunningly drew even at eight-all. Dark reached on an E6, as the comeback was completed and the score was flipped, with Price crossing home to give GC a 9-8 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

Unfortunately, Braden Bradford (Jamestown, N.C.) could not make it stand, as Meienschein led off reaching on an error, stole second, and got to third on a Whitfield groundout. Dozier followed, tapping one to first, but Shoemaker got caught with his eyes on the runner too much and the Quakers were caught with a vacated second base bag.  So, while Meienschein did not cross the plate, Dozier beat the hit then took the extra base with astute baserunning, putting the winning run on second along with the tying run on third. From there, the freshman Bradford was rattled and just could not find the zone, walking the next two, forcing in the equalizer, then plunking James Tassone for the walkoff by a 10-9 score.

GAME 2
After two reached but were left aboard in the first for GC, the Marlins immediately got on the board in the home half as Nick Valentin greeted Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.) to the ODAC rudely, ambushing the first pitch the UNCG transfer tossed and bashing it over the fence for a leadoff homer.

VWU created distance in the fourth, with Gino Meienschein and Marcell Whitfield each singling then Ty James taking a walk to load the bases. An error at the plate when Guilford tried to get the force out at home on an Israel Dozer fielders choice allowed a run to score before a safety squeeze bunt plated another. Reynaldo Perez Mendez drove in third tally with a hit and while he was caught stealing, he got in the rundown long enough to allow Dozier to score before the third out, making the score 5-0.

The hosts tacked on a couple more on a Meienschein single and Whitfield groundout in the seventh, but Chase Depalma already had plenty of run support, working around baserunners in six of his eight innings of work and keeping Guilford off the board. In the end, the score finished at 7-0.

The Quakers return to McBane Field next week, first welcoming Muskingum University to Greensboro on Tuesday, March 10. First pitch will be 2:00 PM.

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