GREENSBORO, N.C. – Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) plated four runs, including a trio on a sixth-inning home run, leading the Guilford College baseball team (10-1, 2-0 ODAC) to a season-high in scoring output, blitzing Montclair State University (7-5, 0-0 NJAC), 15-12, on Tuesday night at McBane Field.
In a bit of a sloppy midweek contest, the Quakers pounded out a season-high 19 hits on their way to their 15 tallies, and while they also committed a season-high six errors leading to six unearned runs, they nonetheless did enough to complete the victory, getting to double-digit wins in their fewest number of games since 1975.
Jacob Phillips (Browns Summit, N.C.) gave GC their longest start of the still young season, going the first 5.0 innings allowing three earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four to become the first Quaker starter to get credit for a win this season, improving to 4-0.
Making his second start of the season for the Red Hawks, Sebastian Ecker got tagged to the tune of six runs, three earned, on five hits and two walks while striking out two and never ended up off the hook, taking the loss to fall to 0-1.
George's strong afternoon at the plate finished just a triple shy of the cycle as he went 3-for-5 with a double in addition to his home run, scoring twice and driving in four. While Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) extended his season-long hitting streak, Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) was GC's top table-setter, reaching five times safely by going 3-of-4 with two doubles and walking twice, coming around to score four times. Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) drove in three runs going 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once, and Chase Wade (Archdale, N.C.) recorded a hit in all three of his plate appearances before exiting the contest with one RBI.
Billy Tigar enjoyed a 5-of-6 afternoon, but only scored once and drove in two. No other player for MSU had more than two hits. Among those players were Jared Levis who went 2-for-5 with a walk out of the leadoff spot, scoring thrice, and Miles Feaster, who scored twice and drove in two on a 2-of-6 showing.
The Red Hawks quickly struck against Phillips, getting clean leadoff single from Levis and a walk drawn by Lukas Egenhauser. He induced what could have been a huge double play ball, by Feaster, and although George slipped when he tried to turn the corner, he did still manage to complete the fielder's choice. Matteo Pasculli would get the run in from third, but Phillips would settle in and set down the next two, limiting the damage to just the one run.
Guilford responded in the home half with Williams getting it started by ripping a frozen rope into the gap in right-center for a double. A couple of wild pitches later, the second one coming as the fourth ball of a Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) walk, and he crossed the plate to level the score. A Wade single and a fielder's choice put men on the corners and Grayson Tudor (Reidsville, N.C.) rolled over what should have been the third out of the inning, but the second baseman, Feaster, yanked his short throw to first, pulling the first baseman off the bag and allowing the run to score, putting GC up 2-1, and it was a lead they would never relinquish.
The Quakers opened things up in the second. Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) reached on an error then scored all the way from first on a George double. Dark followed, floating a single into center then Williams drew a free pass to load the bases. Sacrifice flies by Smith and Rodrigues on either side of a Wade RBI-knock brought in extra runs as the home team's lead was extended to 6-1 through two full frames.
The guests tried to climb back in it in the fifth, piecing together a two-out rally as Feaster singled, Matteo Pasculli doubled off the base of the fence in center, with Chinen perfectly playing the carom, although the relay to the plate was just late, then Tigar singled in a run. However, GC buried the Red Hawks in the sixth and seventh innings.
In the sixth, against reliver Joe Paccione, Sam Melton (Cartersville, Ga.) reached on an infield hit, Jordan Burrough (Greensboro, N.C.) got plunked, and Carter Blum (McLeansville, N.C.) beat an infield hit to load the bases. Chinen followed with a sacrifice fly to score the first run. That prompted a pitching change from the Red Hawks, who turned to Brendan Roche, and George greeted him rudely, jumping the second pitch he saw from the righty and blasting it over the Greensboro Monster for his first homer of the season. Then in the seventh, after Monclair State scored three unearned runs in the top half, Williams walked and Smith doubled before Melton reached on an error, scoring two runs on the play. Rodrigues plated Melton with a double and Blum brought him home with a single later in the inning as Guilford seized a 14-6 lead.
Each squad permitted singular runs in the eighth then things got weird in the ninth as GC booted the ball around the infield some, allowing the Red Hawks to close the gap. But eventually, Hayden Sekanik (Tampa, Fla.) came in, settled things down enough, and completed the 15-12 win.
The Quakers take McBane Field again tomorrow, hosting another far-from-home opponent as Westminster (Pa.) College visits Guilford for a clash beginning at 2:00 PM.
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