College Baseball Final…Guilford over Greensboro 9-8: Wooden makes Quakers a winner….

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Kyle Wooden’s bases-loaded RBI groundout in the eighth
gave Guilford College a stirring 9-8 comeback win over visiting Greensboro
College Wednesday at McBane Field.

The Quakers (2-5) erased an 8-1 sixth-inning deficit to drop the Pride to
0-6 in the first of three scheduled meetings between the cross-town rivals
this season.

Greensboro blasted four home runs in the first five innings to open the
seven-run lead. Quinn Finnegan belted solo shots in the second and fourth
innings. His fourth-inning blast followed Lyle Donaldson’s home run one
batter earlier. Austin Catherina hit a two-run homer in Greensboro’s
three-run second inning.

The run support helped Michael Manfro cruise into the sixth inning with a
sizable cushion. The right-hander tired in the sixth inning of his longest
stint of the season as Guilford halved its deficit with three runs (two
unearned) in the inning.

Sammy Stuart (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor), Guilford’s third pitcher of
the day, entered the game in the sixth inning. He overcame five walks and
held Greensboro scoreless on two hits for the rest of the game while his
teammates rallied at the plate against the Pride bullpen. Derek Hardison’s
two-run single drew Guilford to within 8-6 in the seventh and the Quakers’
tied the game two batters later without a base hit. Two wild pitches
sandwiched around a throwing error allowed the tying runs to score.

Guilford hit three singles and a fielder’s choice to start the eighth inning
off of reliever Zach Thurton (0-1). Left-hander J.H. Pike entered the game
to face Wooden, who entered the game with a team-leading .450 batting
average. With one out in the inning, he grounded to Catherina at shortstop,
who threw to Finnegan at second for a force out. Wooden beat Finnegan’s
relay throw to first and the go-ahead run scored.

Donaldson hit a one-out double in the top of the ninth and Matt Irwin worked
a two-out walk to put runners on first and second with two out. Stuart got
Michael Cobb to ground out to Wooden at first to end the game and pick up
his first win of the season.

Hardison, one of six Quakers with two hits in the game, had three RBI,
including run-scoring double in the first. Wooden also finished with two
hits, including his team-leading fourth double of the season.

Catherina and Finnegan both had a game-high three hits. Catherina had three
RBI and Finnegan had two.

Guilford entertains Case Western Reserve Sunday (2/20) in a noon
doubleheader at McBane Field.

Guilford 9, Greensboro 8 (Feb 16, 2011 at Greensboro, NC)
———————————————————————-
Greensboro………. 030 221 000 – 8 13 2 (0-6)
Guilford………… 100 003 41X – 9 13 0 (2-5)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Greensboro – Michael Manfro; Brandon Matthews(6); Zach Turton(7);
J.R. Pike(8) and
Lyle Donaldson. Guilford – Will James; David Thomson(4); Sammy Stuart(6) and
Will Cornelius.
Win-Sammy Stuart(1-2) Loss-Zach Turton(0-1) T-2:57 A-100
HR GBRO – Austin Catherina; Lyle Donaldson; Quinn Finnegan 2.
Weather: 56, sunny
Thomson faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Game: GCB-07

Dave Walters
Guilford College Athletics