College Softball Final – Guilford 9, Roanoke 7

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Cynthia Hayes (Seagrove, N.C./Southwestern Randolph), Calli Pastor, and Marty Wilcox extended their respective double-digit game hitting streaks as Guilford College collected a Wednesday afternoon Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) victory over Roanoke College, 9-7. Game two of the planned doubleheader was postponed due to rain.

Hayes went 1-for-2 with a RBI-single in the bottom of the fourth inning, extending her hit streak to 23 games dating back to last season. The senior has hit safely in all 15 games in 2014. Wilcox extended her hit streak to 12 games, batting 3-for-4 with two RBI thanks to a RBI-single in the bottom of the third inning and a RBI-triple in the bottom of the fourth inning. Pastor 2-for-4 to extend her hitting streak to ten games.

The Quakers took advantage of two errors in the bottom of the third inning to spark a four-run rally. Laura Hall reached first base on an error to drive in the game’s first run. After Wilcox’s RBI-single, starting pitcher Maggie Shaffer helped her own cause with a two-out, two-RBI single.

After Roanoke countered with two runs in the top of the fourth inning, the Quakers added another four-run rally thanks to three Roanoke errors. Rachel Howard followed Hayes’ RBI-single with a ground out to first for the second run of the inning. After her RBI-triple to right field, Wilcox would score one at-bat later as Taylor Boyd reached base on a dropped pop fly for her 13th RBI of the season. Laura Hall would add insurance in the bottom of the fifth inning as she drove home Emily VanHaneghan thanks to a throwing error to extend the lead, 9-2.

The Maroons countered in the top of the sixth inning with a five-run rally. Emily Lawrence picked up a pinch-hit RBI-single to right field to respond to the Quakers’ four-run rally. Sarah Groft followed Lawrence with a one-out RBI-single to center field. The next at-bat after the second out was recorded, Taylor Sutherland hit a three-run home run to right field before the Quakers retired the Maroons in the inning.

Maggie Shaffer (6-1) took the win for the Quakers, surrendering four runs on five hits and striking out two in five and a third innings. Rebekah Langston threw the final one and two thirds innings, giving three runs on four hits.

Roanoke’s Kelly Higbie (2-4) took the loss giving up 9 runs, all unearned, on nine hits.

The Quakers (14-1, 1-0 ODAC) return to action Saturday, traveling to Virginia Wesleyan College to face the Marlins in an ODAC doubleheader beginning at 1:30 p.m. The Marlins are currently ranked eighth in the country in this week’s National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III poll.