GREENSBORO, N.C. – Getting some of the best results of the season from their pitching and defense, the Guilford College baseball team (12-3, 2-2 ODAC) rebounded in game one of the 2025 Battle for the 'Boro, handling Greensboro College (12-7, 3-0 USA South), 7-4, on Tuesday afternoon at McBane Field.
It was more good work from Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) who made his third midweek start of the season. His performance was dampened by a late home run, but completing 5.1 innings allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits and a walk against three strikeouts was still plenty effective and netted him his first win of the year, improving to 1-0. Chase Wade (Archdale, N.C.) was tasked with getting the final six outs and while he did walk one and hit one batter, but he also struck out three to complete his second save of the year and the 11th of his career.
The same things said about Royals, could not be said regarding the starter for the guests as Trey Wilson got roughed up over 1.0-plus permitting six runs, all of them earned, on four hits and three walks, striking out two. He never ended up off the hook, and suffered the loss to fall to 0-1.
A far cry from their 2024 matchup at McBane Field, this contest was a reasonably subdued afternoon at the plate for both teams. Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) maintained his string of strong Tuesdays going 2-of-4 with three RBI, but Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) was the only other player with multiple hits for the home squad, also finishing 2-for-4. Grayson Tudor (Reidsville, N.C.) reached on three occasions, going 1-of-2 with a pair of walks, scoring once and driving in two. Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) had a walk and a hit, scoring twice as well.
Evan Sykes provided a majority of the Pride offense in one swing, connecting on a three-run home run to go with a pair of walks, but the Guilford pitching was great outside of that, scattering the Greensboro baserunners. Chris Le drove in the only other run for the Pride on a double and Dominic Scavone was the only batter with multiple hits for the guests, connecting on a pair of doubles and scoring once.
After a flawless top of the first from Royals, Guilford jumped on Wilson in the home half. Williams ambushed the first pitch her saw for a single through the shortstop hole, Smith worked back from a 1-2 hole to draw a walk courtesy of a pitch clock violation and then Tudor took a traditional free pass to load the bags with one out. Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) opened the scoring with a laser to right-center and while it found a glove, it was plenty deep to plate Williams and advance Smith to third. Tudor swiped second and George brought both runs home by dumping a single into center as the Quakers grabbed a 3-0 lead after one.
Adding on in the second, the home squad packed the bases immediately with singles by Jordan Burrough (Greensboro, N.C.) and Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) to turn over the lineup, then a base on balls drawn by Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) to prompt an early change on the mound by the Pride. Nick Neubauer entered and uncorked a wild pitch allowing all three runners to advance, and forcing in a run, but he retired the next two batters to get on the verge of escaping the jam. Tudor ensured that would not be the case, however, singling to center to bring home both runners as Guilford doubled their advantage in the second.
Greensboro got on the board with a single by Cameron Barefoot, an errand pickoff attempt, allowing him to take third and then a Le ground-rule double into the Pride bullpen down the leftfield line to score him. Overall, the game would settle down though, with Royals and Neubauer trading zeros on the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth when the Quakers pieced together a run on a Smith single, a productive groundout to advance him, and a George knock two batters later.
Royals would run into trouble in the sixth inning with one out, as Brody Gardner singled and Scavone doubled off the base of the Greensboro Monster to put two men in scoring position. It would not matter as Sykes would catch a barrel and drive the 1-1 pitch over the high leftfield fence for his third home run of the season, cutting the deficit in half. Jack Ratliff (Greensboro, N.C.) would enter and the Pride would get the tying run to the plate, but a fine defensive play by George on a soft grounder would extinguish the threat and it would be the only real one either side would have the rest of the way. The Quakers could not figure out Hunter Anderson over the final three frames while on the other side, the Pride got one man to second in the seventh against Hayden Sekanick (Tampa, Fla.) and then singular runners in the final two frames against Wade, but they could not string anything together against the Quaker relievers as Guilford polished off the 7-4 victory.
The Quakers will play baseball again tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, March 19th, hosting their first mid-week ODAC clash of the year against Averett University at 2:00 PM
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