MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Cynthia Hayes had three hits and four RBI in Guilford College’s 11-5 softball win over Rutgers University-Newark. She plated a career-high five runners in the Quakers’ 14-10 loss to Frostburg State University earlier Wednesday in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic at a windy Grand Park.
The Quakers (11-9) had the unusual circumstance of having their opponent end a game with a grand slam and start the next contest with a grand slam. Frostburg State (7-3) rallied from a 9-3 deficit and won the day’s opener on a walk-off grand slam by Renay Aubel. Less than 30 minutes later in the Quakers’ second game, Rutgers-Newark (3-4) put its first three runners on and clean-up hitter Gabby Spinella brought them home with a grand slam for an early 4-0 Raiders’ lead.
Guilford answered in the bottom of the first when Sarah Cutright blasted a two-run home run to left field, her third shot of the day. She also had an RBI single that scored Hayes in the third inning and drew Guilford to within 5-4.
Hayes’ two-out, bases-loaded triple an inning later gave the Quakers a 7-5 lead they would not relinquish. Guilford tacked on three runs in the fifth and one in the six to finish with 21 runs over the two games. Junior Ashley Boteler belted three hits off the bench and was one of five Quakers with two or more hits. Cutright went 2-for-3 with three RBI, which helped junior Brittany Donathan (3-0) overcome a shaky start to collect her team-leading third win of the season.
After falling to Frostburg State, 11-3 in five innings on Tuesday, the Quakers appeared to have turned the tables Wednesday. Hayes hit a two-out grand slam homer in the second and Cutright and Marty Wilcox both left the yard in the third, which gave Guilford a 7-2 lead.
The Quakers led, 9-3, midway through the fourth inning, but the Bobcats roared back starting with four runs in the fourth. Shari Beavers’ two-run homer in the inning made it a 9-7 game and chased Guilford starter Morgan Myers. Frostburg tied the score an inning later with two runs off of reliever Calli Pastor (2-2) and took a 10-9 lead on Megan Butzner’s lead-off homer in the bottom of the sixth.
Cutright countered with a solo shot to start the top of the seventh, which tied the game at 10-10. In the home seventh, two singles and an error loaded the bases for Aubel, who delivered the game-winning blast, the game’s seventh homer.
Frostburg State took advantage of a school-record 10 walks allowed by Guilford pitchers, plus four errors and three wild pitches. Aubel had five runs batted in and Beavers added three, plus two hits. Nicole Bradford (1-0) earned her first win of the season with 4.1 innings of relief.
Guilford’s Hayes added an RBI single in the fourth to her second-inning slam and finished with a career-high five RBI and two hits. Cutright and Yoder also had two hits for the Quakers.
Hayes extended her hitting streak to 21 games, dating to last season, with five hits over the two games. She raised her batting average to a team-leading .563 and her nine RBI on the day gives her a share of the team lead (16) with Cutright.
Wednesday’s games concluded the Quakers’ varsity contests on their Spring Break trip. Guilford next visits northern Virginia for weekend twinbills at Old Dominion Athletic Conference-rivals Eastern Mennonite University (3/23) and Bridgewater College (3/24).
Game 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Guilford 0 5 2 2 0 0 1 10 11 4
Frostburg State 2 0 1 4 2 1 4 14 10 0
Win – Bradford (1-0). Loss – Pastor (2-2). Save – None.
Umpires – HP: Thomas Stabler 1B: Milt Sanderson
Start: 9:30 am Time: 1:55 Attendance: 50
Weather: sunny, windy, 50
Game notes:
Nonconference game
Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic
Pastor faced 4 batters in the 7th.
Game: GCS-19
Game 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Rutgers-Newark 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 10 2
Guilford 2 0 2 3 3 1 X 11 15 1
Win – Donathan (3-0). Loss – Drastal (3-1). Save – None.
Umpires – HP: Milt Sanderson 1B: Bill Henry
tart: 11:45 am Time: 1:42 Attendance: 50
Weather: sunny, windy, 54
Game notes:
Nonconference game
Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic
Game: GCS-20