GREENSBORO, N.C. – With an eighth-inning drive that cleared the Greensboro Monster, Isaiah Hairston (High Point, N.C.) made history for the Guilford College baseball team on Wednesday evening at McBane Field, becoming the program record-holder for career runs batted in with 159, helping the Quakers fend off Averett University, 10-8 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action.
With the win, GC advanced to 11-16, 4-7 in conference play while the Cougars drop to 6-19, 2-8 against ODAC foes.
Hairston finished the night with three runs batted in across a 3-of-4 showing including a double and the record-shattering home run, walking once, scoring three times, breaking one of the program's longest-standing records held for 24 years by Kevin Moore '00, who had 157 in 161 career games. The graduate student, however, reached his mark of now 159 in just 131 career contests.
Jackson Marcellus (Chapel Hill, N.C.) got the midweek start for the Quakers, going 3.0-plus innings allowing five runs, all earned, on four hits, two walks, and a hit batsman while striking out three. Griffin Icenhower (Kernersville, N.C.) came out of the bullpen to complete the fourth inning in relief to earn his first career win and move to 1-0 on the season. Michael Pellegrino allowed seven runs, albeit only five of them were earned on four hits and four walks across just 1.2 innings to fall to 0-5 on the season.
Aiding in Guilford's offensive output was Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) who reached in four of his five plate appearances via one hit, two walks and an HBP. He scored thrice and drove in one run. Jordan Burrough (Greensboro, N.C.) and Michael Sumner (Mooresville, N.C.) had two hits each with the former scoring once and driving in one run and the latter ripping a double and scoring twice. Trevor Testerman finished 4-for-5 at the plate with a double, a homer, two RBI, and two runs scored. Preston Robbins and Maddox Jordan added a pair of RBI's each as well for the guests.
After a perfect top of the first by Marcellus, Guilford's offense jumped on Pellegrino in the home half. Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) smoked the third pitch he saw through the right side of the infield for a single. He stole second as the first out was recorded before consecutive walks drawn by Hairston and Williams loaded the bases. Pellegrino uncorked a wild pitch allowing the opening tally to score and the other two runners to advance. Hairston came home on a Chase Wade (Archdale, N.C) sacrifice fly to left before Burrough worked back from an 0-2 hole to draw a seven-pitch walk. Colin McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.) then rolled over a groundball that was botched by Tyler Lowe at second base. Williams came home and Lowe made matters worse by throwing the ball away trying to get Burrough taking third. That allowed a second run to score on a play that should have ended the inning as the lead was 4-0 good guys.
Testerman got one back for the guests in the second with his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to center, before the Quaker offense went back to work in the bottom of the frame. Sumner got it started with a two-run single under the third baseman's glove. He came all the way around to score from first as Hairston tied the program record for career-RBI's with number 157 on a floating liner inside the paint down the rightfield line for a double. He scored on single into center by Williams who later crossed the plate on a chopper through the middle by Burrough making it 7-1.
Averett got some back in the third, loading the bases on a single and a pair of walks with two outs. A soft liner by Robbins plated a pair and a wind-aided pop up by Testerman allowed another run to cross the plate, cutting the Quakers advantage in half. They got another one back in the fourth. The leadoff batter, Lowe, got hit by a pitch, ending Marcellus' outing before Luke Harris and Nolan Maccabe drew walks against Griffin Icenhower (Kernersville, N.C.), loading the bases. The whole momentum of the inning changed when Nick Boles (Madison, N.C.) made a diving grab coming straight in on a sinking line drive and while the inherited runner did score, Icenhower settled in to get the next two men and limit the damage and keep the score 7-5.
Against Chase Stewart (Charlotte, N.C.), the Cougars inched closer with a run in the sixth from a Maccabe triple and a Drew Skinner RBI-groundout. They got on the verge of tying things in the seventh, putting runners on second and third with one out via a man reaching on an error, a walk and a sacrifice bunt against Ty Clark (Stoneville, N.C.). Later loading the bases with two outs, the Quakers turned to Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) who induced a fielder's choice to escape the jam.
After a perfect top of the eight, the Quaker offense finally put some insurance runs on the board. With one out, Sumner split the gap with a double and after a mound visit, Hairston became Guilford College baseball program's career RBI's leader in style, ambushing the first pitch he saw and hammering it over the Greensboro Monster in left for a two-run shot, his ninth of the season. An RBI infield hit by Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) brought the score to 10-6 before the inning was through.
The Cougars got the tying run to the plate in the ninth, with a double, a single, and a pinch hit two-run triple by Jordan, but Wade fanned the final two men to lock down the win, 10-8.
The Quakers hit the road next, venturing to Lexington, Virginia for an ODAC clash with Washington and Lee next. They play a doubleheader against the Generals with game one at noon on Saturday, April 6th.
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