DEMOREST, Ga. – Sophomore Josh Shepherd went 4-for-5 with four runs scored and two runs batted in (RBI) in Guilford College’s 11-7 baseball win at Piedmont College in Saturday’s season opener for both teams. Six different Quakers had at least two hits in a prolific 19-hit performance at Lowdermilk Field.
Piedmont (0-1) had multiple scoring opportunities, but the Quakers’ pitching trio of Eric Yost, Nick Blackwood and Chase Shuford got key outs when needed. The Lions stranded 17 base runners and left the bases loaded three times. Blackwood (1-0) picked up the win by recording a Griffin Olson fly out with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Shuford came on with one out in the sixth after Blackwood plunked Michael Barnes to load the bases. Shuford fanned Jake Browning and got an inning-ended fly out by Chris White to preserve Guilford’s lead.
The Quakers scored twice in the first inning for an early lead, but Piedmont rallied to lead 3-2 after three frames and 4-3 after four. A two-out, RBI single by Chuck Noble tied the game in the fifth. After Logan Jones walked, rookie Brett Shapcott delivered his first college hit, a two-run single that gave Guilford the lead for good.
Shapcott doubled in the seventh and singled and scored in the Quakers’ three-run ninth inning to finish with three hits. Classmate Andrew Brann also had three hits in his Guilford debut. Noble opened the fourth inning with a game-tying home run, the first of his two run-scoring hits Saturday. Jones and Grayson Tuttle also had two hits apiece. Shuford earned the save with 3.2 innings in which he allowed two hits and fanned four.
Evan Gresham had three hits and Barnes added two for the Lions. Browning and Zach Langley both had two RBI. Starter Riley Presnell took the loss after yielding nine hits and four earned runs in 4.1 innings.
The teams conclude their two-game season-opening set Sunday (2/7) at 2:00 p.m.
Guilford 11, Piedmont 7 (Feb 06, 2016 at Demorest, GA) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Guilford............ 200 131 013 - 11 19 4 (1-0) Piedmont............ 102 100 003 - 7 12 2 (0-1) ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Guilford – Eric Yost; Nick Blackwood(5); Chase Shuford(6) and Grayson Tuttle.
Piedmont – R. Presnell; B Courtwrigh(5); M. Vondersch(6); A. Tokarz(6); S. George(9) and
J. Browning.
Win-Nick Blackwood(1-0) Save-Chase Shuford(1) Loss-R. Presnell(0-1) T-3:02 A-327
HR GC – Chuck Noble.
Weather: Sunny & Chilly
M. Vondersch faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Game: GCB-01