College Baseball Finals – Guilford 10-4, Maryville (Tenn.) 6-3 (8 inn.)

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Pinch-runner Herc Ingels (Lenoir, N.C./Hibriten) scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a wild pitch, giving Guilford Quakers a 4-3 win and a doubleheader sweep of previously undefeated Maryville (Tenn.) College Saturday.

John Macon Smith (Greensboro, N.C./W. Guilford (W. Carolina)) cracked two home runs to lead a 13-hit attack as the Quakers (3-2) took the opening game versus Maryville, 10-6.

Smith cracked a three-run shot just in front of the scoreboard in the third inning to give the Quakers a 4-1 lead. Smith led off the fourth and crushed one to right field to extend Guilford’s lead to 8-3. He finished the game with three hits and four RBI.

Designated hitter Zack Montalbano (Osprey, Fla./Venice) added a two-run homer in the third inning for the Quakers.

Junior Will James (Greenville, N.C./D.H. Conley) picked up the win. He scattered six hits in five innings and did a good job of pitching out of trouble. James (1-1) escaped a bases-loaded situation in the fourth inning by inducing an inning-ending double play. In the fifth inning he left two runners on base.

Sidearmer Micah Winterstein pitched the final two innings, getting four groundball outs and a strikeout, to seal the win.

Nick Dean had two hits for Maryville and Mikee Moore had two RBIs to pace the Scots.

Game two saw the Scots (4-2) open a 3-1 lead before the Quakers rallied. Justin Pittman (Trinity, N.C./Trinity) led off the eighth inning with a single and was removed for Ingles, who advanced to second on a single by pinch-hitter Jordan Slate (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson). A single by Danny Ditota (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside) loaded the bases with no one out, setting up Ingles advancing on the errant toss.

Guilford tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Smith capped his big day with an RBI double, which drove in Casey Mann (Reisterstown, Md/North Carroll).

Earlier, Smith hit a solo home run, his third homer of the day, and finished with six RBI in the two games.

Rookie Ryan Lindsay (Davie, Fla./Western) picked up his first college win with three shutout innings. The Quakers got excellent relief pitching after starter Borja Jones-Berasaluce (Newton, Mass./North Newton) failed to get out of the second inning. Chad Wagoner (Trinity, N.C./Trinity) came on with the bases loaded and no outs in the second. He gave up a sacrifice fly and then ended the inning with a double play.

Wagoner hurled four scoreless innings, which allowed the Quakers to rally for the win.

Maryville had the game in hand, with a one-run lead in the seventh inning and closer Austin Patton in the game. Patton had a hand in all four Scots’ wins (three saves, one win), but allowed the tying run in the seventh and the winning run in the eighth.

Guilford hosts the University of Maine-Presque Isle Friday (2/24) at 2:30 p.m.

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