LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – Guilford College’s softball team pushed its winning streak to six games Tuesday with a pair of wins on its spring break trip to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Quakers (11-5) downed Frostburg State, 6-2, in their first game and defeated Spalding College by the same score later in the day.
Erin Ogden and Calli Pastor worked hard-earned walks in the opener’s fourth inning, which brought Caroline Barnette to the plate. One of the team’s hottest hitters, Barnette smacked a two-out, two-run double that scored Ogden and Pastor and broke a 2-2 tie. Rachel Howard followed with a double that scored Barnette and chased Bobcats’ starter Allison Short. Marty Wilcox greeted reliever Hannah Tavik with a run-scoring single to left, which provided the game’s final margin.
Guilford starter Casey Snead (2-1) turned in perhaps her best outing of the season. After Frostburg State (4-2) on Lauren Capece’s two-out, two-run double in the top of the fourth, Snead allowed just two baserunners. The junior right-hander scattered three hits, fanned four and walked one in the complete-game effort.
Barnette, who smacked her third triple in as many games, had two hits, two runs batted in (RBI) and two runs scored. Wilcox and Taylor Boyd also had two hits apiece.
The Quakers jumped to a 6-0 lead after two innings against Spalding (1-4). Wilcox’s two-out, RBI-triple in the first scored Howard. Steffi Sides, Courtney Lackey and Pastor hit consecutive run-scoring doubles in the second inning, which was capped by Howard’s two- run single.
Spalding answered with two unearned runs off of Guilford starter Courtney Lackey (2-0) in the top of the third inning. Back-to-back fifth-inning singles put Golden Eagles on second and third with two outs, but Lackey retired Amanda Gilliland on a pop up to end the threat. She scattered seven hits and struck out six in her second straight complete-game win.
Howard paced the offense with two hits and two RBI. Wilcox also had two hits and one RBI.
Coach Dennis Shores’ Quakers return to host Methodist University Thursday (3/19) at 2:00 p.m. in a twinbill rescheduled from Feb. 28.
Guilford 6, Frostburg St 2 (Mar 17, 2015 at Little River, SC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Frostburg St........ 000 200 0 - 2 3 3 (4-2) Guilford............ 200 400 X - 6 9 2 (10-5) ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Frostburg St – Allison Short; Hannah Tavik(4) and Sam Gatton. Guilford – Casey Snead
and Erin Ogden.
Win-Casey Snead(2-1)
Loss-Allison Short
T-1:49
A-50
Weather: 62, sunny
Guilford 6, Spalding 2 (Mar 17, 2015 at Little River, SC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Spalding............ 002 000 0 - 2 7 3 (1-4) Guilford............ 150 000 X - 6 9 2 (11-5) ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Spalding – R. Schoen and A. Gilliland. Guilford – C. Lackey and A. Todd.
Win-C. Lackey(2-0)
Loss-R. Schoen(0-2)
T-1:33
A-50
Weather: 77, sunny
Game notes:
nonconference game
Game: GCS-16