College Baseball Finals: Franklin & Marshall 14, Guilford 9; Case Western Reserve 23, Guilford 11

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Guilford College dropped a pair of games Saturday afternoon in a multi-team doubleheader at McBane Field. The Quakers fell to Franklin & Marshall College in the first game of the day, 14-9, and dropped the nightcap to Case Western Reserve University, 23-11.

The Quakers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one inning before the Diplomats added eight runs in the top of the second inning. Guilford took a 9-8 lead after four innings thanks to John Macon Smith’s (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford) grand slam for his second home run of the season.

Franklin & Marshall countered with six unanswered runs over the final five innings of the game, edging the Quakers in hits, 19-17.

Nathan Fulbright and Michael Whited (Greensboro, N.C./Ragsdale) drove in runs in the first inning on two separate RBI-doubles while Corey Wallace drove in a run in the Quakers’ four-run first inning on a fielder’s choice. Kyle Humphrey (Clemmons, N.C./West Forsyth) drove in a run in the second inning with a RBI-single. Danny Ditota added a triple for the Quakers, going two-for-five on the game.

Case Western Reserve jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings in the Quakers’ nightcap when Humphrey drove in his second run on the day with a single up the middle. Countering three more Spartan runs in the fourth inning, Charles Noble hit into a fielder’s choice for the Quakers’ second run.

The Quakers responded to six un-answered runs with a nine run rally in the bottom of the eighth, sparked by a Grayson Tuttle home run to left field that just missed the foul pole. Humphrey drove in his third run on the day after being hit by a pitch. Fulbright increased his RBI total for the day to three on the next at-bat with a two-RBI single to left center field. Wallace belted home the Quakers’ second home run of the inning with a three-run shot to left field to end the doubleheader with four RBI.

The Quakers (6-5) will face Case Western Reserve once more at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, after the Spartans face Franklin & Marshall at 11 a.m., at McBane Field.