Sweet Briar, Va. – Guilford College split an Old Dominion Athletic Conference softball doubleheader at Sweet Briar College Saturday afternoon. The host Vixens (8-17, 1-7 ODAC) scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 3-2 win in the opener. Kelly Hale (Toler, Ky./Belfry) became Guilford’s career home runs leader with a two-run shot in Guilford’s 14-1 win in the nightcap, that lasted five innings.
In the opener, Guilford’s Charissa Duncan (Radford, Va./Auburn) hit a solo homer in the fourth inning for a 1-0 Quakers’ lead, but Sweet Briar tied the game in the home fifth on the first of Melissa Viar’s two RBI singles. Hale’s two-out RBI gave the Quakers a 2-1 edge in the top of the seventh, but the Vixens rallied in the bottom of the inning. Guilford’s DeNina Eldridge (Hamptonville, N.C./Starmount) hit pinch-hitter Nikki Taylor to open the inning. She was replaced by pinch-runner Alyssa Montanez, who went to second on Amey Landreth’s single, but was forced at third on Brittney Berry’s fielder’s choice for the first out of the inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Viar singled to left, which scored Landreth with the tying run. Guilford’s Ciara Locklear made an error on the play, which let Berry score the winning run from first base.
Guilford scored eight runs in the third inning of the second game en route to a 14-1 win in five innings. The victory tied the school record for wins in a season. Duncan hit her second homer of the day and later hit an RBI double in the inning. Amber Stapler (Glen Burnie, Md./Glen Burnie (Anne Arundel C.C.)) hit a two-run double followed by Kelly Guarnieri’s (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan) two-run single in the third.
Hale’s homer in the fourth inning marked her seventh of the season, which shattered the former mark she set last year. She has 13 career round-trippers, one better than former record-holder Ashley Cooke ’05. Samantha Golley (Street,, Md./N. Harford) improved to 7-3 with the victory.
Guilford visits league-rival Randolph-Macon Sunday (4/7) at 1:30 p.m.
Sweet Briar 3, Guilford 2 (Apr 5, 2008 at Sweet Briar, Va.) (Game 1)
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Guilford………… 000 100 1 – 2 5 1 (15-15-1, 5-8 ODAC)
Sweet Briar……… 000 010 2 – 3 6 2 (8-16, 1-6 ODAC)
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Pitchers: Guilford – DeNina Eldridge. Sweet Briar – Franklin.
Win-Franklin(5-8) Loss-DeNina Eldridge(6-9) T-2:00 A-50
HR GC – Charissa Duncan (2).
Game notes: Melissa Viar’s 1-out RBI single to left scored Amey Landreth from 2nd and Brittney Berry scored on an error on the same play to give the Vixens the Old Dominion Athletic Conference win. Viar also hit an RBI single in the 5th. Kelly Hale’s 2-out RBI single in the 7th gave GC a 2-1 lead.
Game: GCS-31
Guilford 14, Sweet Briar 1 (Apr 5, 2008 at Sweet Briar, Va.) (Game 2)
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Guilford………… 028 40 – 14 14 2 (16-15-1, 6-8 ODAC)
Sweet Briar……… 100 00 – 1 2 3 (8-17, 1-7 ODAC)
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Pitchers: Guilford – Samantha Golley. Sweet Briar – Newberg; Franklin(4).
Win-Samantha Golley(7-3) Loss-Newberg(0-2) T-1:30 A-35
HR GC – Kelly Hale (7); Charissa Duncan (3).
Game notes: Kelly Hale set GC records for season and career HRs with a 2-run HR in the 4th. Charissa Duncan hit a solo HR and RBI double in the GC 3rd. Kelly Guarnieri hit a 2-run double in the 3rd and an RBI single in the 4th. GC matched its school record for wins in a season.
Game: GCS-32