College Softball Finals—Guilford 7—10, NC Wesleyan 1—2

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Cynthia Hayes (Seagrove, N.C./Southwestern Randolph) went 8-for-8 with four RBI over the doubleheader as Guilford College took both games over North Carolina Wesleyan College Wednesday afternoon. The Quakers won game one, 7-1, and took the nightcap, 10-2, in six innings.

After the Battling Bishops scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning, the Quakers would respond with seven unanswered runs. Calli Pastor tied the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the second inning on a solo home run to center field. Taylor Boyd grounded out to drive in a run in the bottom of the third inning to take the lead, 2-1. Hayes drove in her first run of the day on a double to right center field in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Quakers would later produce a four-run rally in the bottom of the fifth inning, led by Steffi Sides’ RBI-single to increase the lead, 4-1. With runners on second and third, Brooks Bray (Thomasville, N.C./Ledford) took base on dropped third strike that brought home game one starting pitcher Casey Snead. Hayes finished the rally with a two-out, two-RBI single to center field to finish the game 4-for-4.

Snead (4-0) took the complete-game win scattering one run on three hits, striking out four batters.

Boyd started the Quaker offense in game two, grounding out to drive the game’s first run in the bottom of the first inning.

After the Battling Bishops’ Maria Seay hit a single to right field to tie the game in the top of the second inning, Marty Wilcox hit a solo home run to center field to regain the lead, 2-1. Wilcox’s home run was her third on the season, driving in her team-leading 18th run of 2014. Calli Pastor would score on a wild pitch after a single and a stolen base. Hayes also came across home plate on a wild pitch in the following inning just after hitting a triple to left field. Rachel Howard would drive in a run on a single two at-bats later to increase the lead, 5-1. Boyd put a cap on the Quakers’ seven-run middle-inning rally in the bottom of the fifth inning with a three-run home run to center field to widen the lead, 8-1. Boyd finished the afternoon with a total of five RBI over both games.

Hayes would claim her eighth and final hit of the doubleheader in the bottom of the sixth inning with a bases-loaded single. Laura Hall would close the game with a bases-loaded single of her own, down the left field line, to conclude the game, 10-2.

Rebekah Langston (4-0) took the six-inning complete game win, surrendering two runs on three hits while striking out seven batters.

The Quakers (13-1), off to their best start in program history, returns to action Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Bridgewater College at Haworth Field for Guilford’s first Old Dominion Athletic Conference games of the season.