College Baseball Final: Guilford 10, Berry 9

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College’s Michael Whited (Greensboro, N.C./Ragsdale) drove in five runs in the Quakers’ 10-9 victory over Berry College Saturday afternoon. Holding off a late Vikings’ rally, the Quakers took the three-game weekend series, two games to one, with the win.

The Vikings took the early advantage in the top of the first inning when Zach Farmer singled to center field for the game’s first run. Sam Pope would cap the first inning rally by reaching on a ground ball error. Kevin Scott would come across home plate on a wild pitch, continuing the Viking rally into the top of the third inning. Sam Joyce would then single into left field to extend the Berry lead, 4-0.

The Quakers answered with a five-run bottom of the fourth inning, sparked by Whited’s three-run homer with one out for his second home run of the season. Herc Ingels followed with a RBI-single to tie the game, 4-4. With the bases loaded, John Macon Smith (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford) drew a walk to give Guilford the lead. Ingels would add his second RBI-single of the day in the bottom of the fifth inning, which brought in a second Quaker run thanks to a throwing error.

The Vikings countered in the top of the sixth inning when T.C. Boyd drove in a run on a RBI-double, cutting into the Quaker lead, 7-5.

Whited answered back in the bottom half of the inning with a two-RBI double to right field. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Smith would produce a run for the second time in the game by reaching on a throwing error to give the Quakers their largest lead of the day, 10-5.

Berry rallied in the top of the eighth inning thanks a pair of RBI-singles from Austin Neely and Kevin Scott. The Vikings continued their momentum into the top of the ninth when Boyd was hit by a pitch to cut the deficit to two. The Quakers’ Justin Morrison (High Point, N.C./High Point Christian Academy) would force Alex McGill into a double play, which brought home Joyce. Morrison would then induce a pop fly to Farmer to earn his first save of the season.

Daniel Weygandt (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory, surrendering no earned runs on four hits in two and a third innings of work. Lou Trosch started the first three innings, giving up just one earned run on five hits. Chad Wagoner (Archdale, N.C./Trinity) followed Weygandt, throwing two and a third innings and surrendering no earned runs on four hits while striking out two. Morrison pitched the final four outs to secure the save.

The Quakers return to McBane Field Wednesday to face cross-town rival Greensboro College at 2:30 p.m.

               1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9   R   H  E
   Berry       2  0  2  0  0  1  0  2  2   9  14  3
   Guilford    0  0  0  5  2  2  1  0  X  10  14  5

Win – Weygandt (1-0)
Loss – T Montgomery (0-1)
Save – Morrison (1).
WP – Heath; Trosch 2; Weygandt; Morrison
HBP – by Trosch (Joyce); by Estes (Schwartz); by T Montgomery (Fulbright); by Heath (Noble); by Morrison (Tyson); by Morrison (Boyd). Inherited runners/scored: T Montgomery 1/1; Wagoner 2/0; Morrison 2/0.
Umpires – HP: Jason Morgan 1B: CR Thompson
Start: 1:00 pm
Time: 2:43
Attendance: 150
Weather: 45 sunny