GREENSBORO, N.C. – Seven and a half hours of competitive, high level Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) baseball transpired at McBane Field on Saturday afternoon as the Guilford College baseball team took No. 1 Shenandoah University to the brink, going toe-to-toe with the top team in the nation for 12 innings then falling in the 13th frame in game one, 4-1, before they finished the job with a 23-22, sunlight-shortened, upset victory in the second game.
With the split, the Quakers move to 7-12 on the season, grabbing their first conference win of the season at 1-3. The Hornets, drop their second game of the campaign, and first conference clash, to fall to 14-2, 4-1 in ODAC play.
Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) pitched excellently in game one, going the first 9.0 innings allowing just one run on seven hits and three walks to a SU squad that was averaging over 11 runs per game coming in, although he did not factor into the decision. Neither did Shenandoah starter Jacob Bell who threw the first 8.0 innings allowing one run on eight hits and two walks, fanning seven. The pitching decisions fell to the bullpens with Chase Wade (Archdale, N.C.) being on the wrong end of things after allowing 3 unearned runs across the final 4.0 innings. He allowed one hit and two walks, striking out three to fall to 1-1. Anthony Arrichiello got the win improving to 1-0 after throwing 2.0 innings of scoreless baseball.
In game two, Jacob Ray (Burlington, N.C.) was good but faded late and finished being tagged with six runs, all earned, on seven hits and five walks in 4.2 innings, not qualifying for the win by one out. Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) got the win throwing 1.0 inning in relief instead to improve to 1-1. Parker Farrington was the first of eight arms that the Hornets deployed to get them though eight frames, finishing throwing 1.0-plus allowing six runs, all earned, on five hits and a walk, plunking three men and falling to 3-2.
There was not much offense to be found in the first contest. Isaiah Hairston (High Point, N.C.) and Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) had two hits apiece and Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) and Jordan Burrough (Greensboro, N.C.) had doubles. But it was Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) who was responsible for the run production connecting on a solo homerun. Jaime Padilla had three hits, stealing two bases and scoring for the guests while Haden Madagan added a hit and three walks, stealing a bag and scoring once as well.
The night cap could not have been more different with 45 runs being put on the scoreboard between the two clubs, and a lot of big offensive days as a result. In a performance that on any other day would be the headline, Michael Sumner (Mooresville, N.C.) collected five hits, the most by a Quaker since 2017 and among them a long ball on his way to three runs scored and five batted in. Hairston went 2-for-4 with a homer and a couple of walks, Burrough reached in all six plate appearances with two hits and four walks and Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) had a hit, walked twice, and drove in three. For the Hornets, Chandler Ballenger had three hits and a walk, scoring thrice and driving in one and Peirce Bucher also collecting three knocks and four RBI's. Zach Furtado and Madagan each went deep with the latter driving in five.
GAME 1
Game one was a pitcher's duel from start to finish as Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) and Jacob Bell traded almost exclusively zeros through the first eight. Shenandoah took a lead in the fifth when Jaime Padilla singled, stole twice, and came home on a Cameron Ballenger single. Then Guilford responded with Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) blasting his third homer of the season over the fence in left-centerfield, just to the right of where the Greensboro Monster ends, evening things at one. Sure, each pitcher worked in and out of some trouble along the way, Ricigilano escaped further damage in the fourth when he navigated a bases loaded jam and Bell matched the feat in the eighth.
When the game turned over to the bullpens, the same events played out with the combined efforts of Ricky Snyder, Joey Mitchell, and Anthony Arrichiello throwing 4.0 innings of scoreless ball against Ricigliano's final inning of work, plus Chase Wade (Archdale, N.C.) throwing three frames.
The stalemate ended in the top of the 13th. Peirce Bucher and Haden Madagan each drew a base on balls then Connor Houser bunted, but the throw went down the line scoring two runs. Houser advanced to second on the play and a couple of bunts later scored as the guests held a 4-1 lead. Arrichiello shut it down in the bottom of the inning as Shenandoah took game one at that score.
GAME 2
In the highest scoring contest the Quakers have been a part of thus far this season, things started rather quietly in the first. It began with a scoreless top of the frame by Jacob Ray (Burlington, N.C.) highlighted by a strike-them-out, throw-them-out double play. In the home half Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) and Michael Sumner (Mooresville, N.C.) singled, then Isaiah Hairston (High Point, N.C.) got a pitch to hit in an 0-2 count, mashing his fifth homer of the season to right-center. Just like that, 3-0 GC.
Guilford kept the Hornets off the board in the top of the second before the offense pilled it on in the second. After Dark got drilled by a pitch, Sumner ambushed the first pitch he saw over the Greensboro Monster for his first home run of the season and second of his career. After that, Hairston got hit by a pitch, then after a pitching change, Williams singled and Chase Wade (Archdale, N.C.) walked to load the bases. Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) took a base on balls forcing in a run then a Jordan Burrough (Greensboro, N.C.) singled bringing in a run and a bobble on the play scored another run. Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) hit a sacrifice fly and Dark tripled in another tally as the Quaker lead was extended to double-digits.
SU climbed back in it with a Peirce Bucher two-run double in the third although a Sumner single and a Williams sacrifice fly countered those runs. Bucher drove in another run on a single in the top of the fifth ahead of Haden Madagan's fifth homer of the year cutting the score to 12-6.
Now in GC's favorite inning thus far this season, the bottom of the fifth, Austin Gemmill entered for the Hornets, and he did not retire a man, walking the first four Quakers, forcing in a run. After a change on the bump, Dark singled in one, Sumner singled in two, and Hairston singled in one more with another scoring on a throwing error. Hairston scored on a wild pitch later in the inning after a second pitching change in the frame, and after a couple more walks, Grayson Tuder (Reidsville, N.C.) hit a run-scoring single. Another free pass loaded the bases again and Royals singled over second to bring in another run. Dark rolled one over, but the throw home got away, and the tallies were upped to 23-6.
Shenandoah got five back on a Chandler Ballenger two-run single, a Bucher double, and a Madagan, two-run double in the sixth. Later in the eighth, Zach Furtado then blasted his first homer of the year, a two-run shot, getting things to 23-13.
As madness unfolded in the top of the ninth, with the Hornets picking up nine runs, including three unearned and another four on a solo home run by Connor Houser his first of the year and a three-run shot by Jonathan Stokely, his second of the season. But, with things teetering on the brink, Guilford got a little assist from mother nature as they might as well award a save to the sun as the contest was called due to darkness at 23-22.
The Quakers play one on the road on Tuesday against Carolina University next at 2:00 PM in Winston-Salem.
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