College Baseball Finals – Guilford 5-3, Eastern Mennonite 15-1

GREENSBORO, N.C. – John Macon Smith homered and Drew Crawford threw eight-and-a-third strong innings in Guilford College’s 3-1 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) baseball win over visiting Eastern Mennonite University Saturday at McBane Field. The victory salvaged a split of the ODAC doubleheader after the Royals (15-16, 3-11 ODAC) banged out 17 hits in a 15-5 opening-game victory.

Guilford (12-18, 5-9 ODAC) scored all of its runs in the third inning off of the Royals’ Brett Whitlow (0-4). Smith opened the game’s scoring with a solo homer run to right, his fourth blast of the season, with one out. Corey Wallace tripled to centerfield with two away in the third and scored on Michael Whited’s single to left. Whited stole second and came around on a Chase Massey double, which chased Whitlow in favor of southpaw submariner Aaron Hooven. Hooven returned Gabe Mirabelli to end the inning and proceeded to throw five more scoreless frames.

The Quakers had all the offense they needed thanks to Crawford (3-4), who allowed base runners in every inning save the eighth and was helped by two double plays. The Royals mounted a ninth-inning rally with three straight one-out singles that loaded the bases. Avery Rogers replaced Crawford and after yielding a wild pitch that scored pinch-runner Ian Norris, he picked retired both batters he faced for his first save.

Smith and Whited both had two hits and RBIs for Guilford, which had six hits in the game.

Kyle Matthews and Brandon Carroll both had two hits for Eastern Mennonite.

The second game was a much calmer affair than the opener, which saw the teams combine for 20 runs, 31 hits and nine errors.
Eastern Mennonite took advantage of six Quakers’ miscues and led, 5-0, after five innings. The Royals batted around in a six-run seventh inning and tacked on four more runs in the ninth. Cameron Smith led the way with four hits, including an RBI double, and three runs scored. Five other Royals added two hits apiece, including Jonathan Estrada, who also knocked in two runs. Starting pitcher Adam Posey (3-3) also had two hits and scored twice in his third pitching win of the season. Backed by so many runs, he threw into the ninth inning before giving way to Charlie Mills. Posey gave up three earned runs, fanned eight and did not walk a batter.

Guilford banged out 14 hits off of Posey, but stranded 11 runners. Wallace was three-for-four and three other Quakers also had two hits. Borja Jones-Berasaluce (2-3) gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in six innings and struck out three.

Guilford hosts Emory & Henry College Sunday (4/6) at 2:00 p.m. in an ODAC game.

Game 1

                       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  R  H E
   Eastern Mennonite   0 0 3 0 2 0 6 0 4  0 15 17 3
   Guilford            0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3  X  5 14 6

Win – A. Posey (3-3).
Loss – Berasaluce (2-3).
Save – None.

Umpires –
Start: 12 noon Time: 2.75 Attendance: 100
Weather: sunny, breezy, 63

Game notes:
Old Dominion Athletic Conference game
Berasaluce faced 2 batters in the 7th.
A. Posey faced 3 batters in the 9th.

Game 2

                       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
   Eastern Mennonite   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 8 1
   Guilford            0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X 3 6 1

Win – Crawford (3-4).
Loss – B. Whitlow (0-4).
Save – Rogers (1).

Umpires –
Start: 3:00 pm Time: 2:12 Attendance: 125
Weather: 65, sunny, breezy
Game notes:
Old Dominion Athletic Conference game