College Roundup from Thursday with Guilford, High Point and Elon sports news(Busy times for our local schools)

College Baseball Final – Guilford 20, Averett 6

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College’s Brett Shapcott amassed six RBI as the Quakers claimed a Thursday afternoon victory over Averett University, 20-6.

The contest featured eleven combined errors with ten of the contest’s 26 runs unearned. The Quakers scored in every inning except the sixth inning, but the Quakers placed a runner in scoring position with two outs in the frame. Guilford’s big innings came three times in the contest, starting with a four-run rally in the bottom of the third inning where the Quakers posted three of their four runs with two outs. Guilford countered Averett’s four-run top of the fifth inning with a four-run rally of their own in the bottom half of the frame, scoring all runs with two outs and both hits coming with two outs after all Guilford batters reached base either by a hit-by-pitch or a fielder’s choice. Guilford added five insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to cap a rally of eleven unanswered runs with all five runs also coming with two outs in an inning prolonged by two Averett errors.

Shapcott finished the contest four-for-five including a double and a triple to add to his six-RBI afternoon. The Quakers top half of the batting order combined to hit eight-for-19 with ten RBI, including a four-for-five effort from Jacob Roberts who added a stolen base. Austin Wilson finished two-for-three with one RBI.

Noah Greenblatt led the Cougars, batting one-for-three with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning. Kyle Walsh and Billy McLaughlin were the lone Cougars’ bats to amass a multi-hit afternoon, each batting three-for-five.

Joe LeNoir (1-0) claimed the win for the Quakers, throwing in the fifth inning. Caleb Gaster earned the start and struck out one batter and walked three in a four-inning effort where he gave up three runs on four hits. Chase Shuford and John Todd allowed three hits combined in the final four innings of the contest.

Drew Evans (0-2) took the loss for Averett, giving up three runs (one earned) and walking five batters in one and one-third innings. James Culbreth led the Cougars in the bullpen, giving up one hit in the sixth inning while fanning one batter.

The Quakers return to Old Dominion Athletic Conference action Saturday, traveling to Virginia Wesleyan College for a 2 p.m. ODAC contest.

HPU advances to quarters with 73-55 win over Winthrop

• No. 6 High Point (12-18, 10-10) advances to take on No. 3 Radford (17-12, 13-7) at approximately 8 p.m. in Kimmel Arena.
• Junior Kaylah Keys paced the offense with 22 points in 21 minutes while shooting 8-10 from the floor.
• Freshman Lindsey Edwards racked up 10 points and a career-high six rebounds in the victory.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The High Point University women’s basketball team used its depth to move past No. 11 Winthrop 73-55 in the Big South Tournament in Asheville, N.C. on Thursday night.

Junior Kaylah Keys led the Panthers (12-18, 10-10) with 22 points in 21 minutes as 11 members of the Purple & White played at least nine minutes. Conversely, the shorthanded Eagles (4-24, 3-17) played their starting five the entire contest.

High Point advances to the quarterfinals where it will meet No. 3 Radford at approximately 8 p.m. on Friday night.

“I’m proud of our kids’ effort,” head coach DeUnna Hendrix said. “We were able to play everybody and have everyone ready when their name was called. Radford is very talented and we know it will be a battle when we take them on in the quarterfinals tomorrow night.”

Freshman Lindsey Edwards added 10 points and a career-high six rebounds to give High Point two double-digit scorers. On the wing, freshman Emma Bockrath chipped in with nine points and six rebounds in the win.

The Panthers earned a 59-42 margin on the glass as freshman Haleigh Hatfield ripped down 11 boards on the night. Likewise, HPU was credited with 19 assists on its 26 field goals behind four helpers from sophomore Kat Harris.

Redshirt-freshman Kennedy Currie provided a surge of energy off the bench registering five rebounds, four points, three assists and three blocks.

High Point shot 26-69 (38 percent) from the floor while holding the Eagles to 28 percent (20-71). Playing with only five healthy scholarship players, Winthrop’s four scorers were led by junior Aliyah Kilpatrick’s 23 points.

On the other hand, 10 players scored for HPU including sophomore Hunter Fleming’s first basketball of the season. The 28-0 edge in bench points was a buoyed by a career-high eight points from freshman Kyrie’ Chandler.

Harris set the early pace getting in the open floor and scoring two transition baskets while dishing out two assists in the first 10 minutes. On the defensive end, the Panthers held Winthrop to 5-20 shooting while building a 19-11 advantage after the first period.

Four minutes into the second frame, HPU’s lead grew to 13 as Hatfield’s second three-pointer was followed by jumpers from Edwards and Currie (26-13, 5:30). From there, the lead swelled to 15 as the game moved to halftime (38-23).

On the first possession out of the break Keys converted a three-point play to give High Point a 41-23 advantage. Four minutes later, Bockrath found Edwards in transition for a layup that pushed the lead to 21 (47-26, 6:05).

Later redshirt-freshman Kennedy Currie’s layup stretched the lead to 23 (51-28, 1:47). However, Winthrop pulled within 19 points at 53-34 as the game moved to the final period.

The Eagles opened the fourth quarter on a 16-8 spurt to cut the deficit to 13 points (63-50, 3:30). But Keys drilled her third three-pointer of the night to settle the squad down (66-50, 3:10).

However, Winthrop kept fighting to pull within 11 points as Aliyah Kilpatrick hit a trifecta (66-55, 1:56). From there, High Point converted their free throws to earn a 73-55 victory.

The Panthers will be back in action on Friday at approximately 8 p.m. against No. 3 Radford in Kimmel Arena.

Elon Hosts Former SoCon Rival The Citadel on the Diamond

ELON, N.C. – In its final non-conference weekend series, the Elon University baseball team will play host to a former Southern Conference rival as The Citadel Bulldogs visit Latham Park for three games beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 11. The two will then play a 2 p.m. game on Saturday and conclude the set with a 1:30 p.m. contest on Sunday.

Live Coverage
Fans can follow the Phoenix via live stats by going to the Elon baseball schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Twitter updates will be posted on the @ElonScores account during the game.

The Series
Elon and The Citadel have met 48 times prior to this weekend’s series, the first of which occured on March 12, 2004, in Elon’s first year as a Southern Conference member. The Phoenix holds a 27-21 advantage in the all-time series, but The Citadel won two of the three games played in Charleston, S.C., a year ago. In the previous 18 games played at Elon, the maroon and gold is 12-6.

No. 4 Phoenix Falls in Upset to No. 5 Delaware

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – The No. 4 seed Elon women’s basketball team led for nearly 35 minutes of the game but was not able to hold on in the end as No. 5 seed Delaware knocked off the Phoenix, 57-50, today, March 10, in the CAA Championship quarterfinals in The Show Place Arena.

The Phoenix (18-12) finished 18-of-59 from the field to shoot 31 percent in the game, including 4-of-21 from three (19 percent), and went 10-of-19 from the line for a 53-percent mark. Elon won the slight advantage on the boards, 37-36, and saw 27 points from its bench.

Shay Burnett led the maroon and gold with 13 points and another team-high eight rebounds, while also handing out three assists. Lenaira Ruffin came off the bench for a season-high 11 points after a 4-of-9 performance from the field and six boards. Lauren Brown followed with nine points, while Jenifer Rhodes tallied seven points and seven boards.

The Blue Hens (16-14) claimed its first ever win over Elon after shooting 41 percent from the field, going 19-of-46. UD only hit one of its seven shots from beyond the arc but went 18-of-20 (90 percent) from the charity stripe. Delaware was led with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds from Nicole Enabosi, who finished 8-of-9 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. Courtni Green and Sade Chatman followed with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Highlights
After a 6-0 start for the Phoenix in the first period, a three by Burnett and two baskets by Rhodes extended the Elon advantage to 11, 15-4, at the 3:51 mark. The Blue Hens closed the gap to six before the maroon and gold finished the frame with an 18-11 lead.

A three by Nikki McDonald followed by a layup by Ruffin put the Phoenix up by 12, 23-11, early in the second period. UD answered with six straight, holding Elon scoreless for over five minutes before Rhodes hit a layup with 3:13 remaining. With under two minutes on the clock, Ruffin drained a three to return the Phoenix to a 12-point advantage, 29-17, as Elon held a 29-18 lead at the break.

The maroon and gold offense struggled to begin the second half before Brown hit a three at 4:34 mark to make it a 32-21 game. The Blue Hens managed to cut its deficit to five, 34-29, but both Burnett and Essence Baucom converted on trips to the line to return the Phoenix to a nine-point advantage, 38-29, with one period to play.

Delaware scored seven straight to start the fourth period, pulling within two, 38-36. With 7:01 to play, Ruffin converted an old-fashioned three-point play to return the Elon lead to five, 41-36. The Blue Hens managed an 11-4 run to claim its first lead of the game with 2:55 remaining. Burnett grabbed a defensive rebound and got the ball down the court to Ruffin for a fast-break layup to even the game for the third time with 2:04 left in the game. UD began to pull away as Elon was not able to convert offensively and was forced to foul. Delaware made all four of its chances at the line in the final 10 seconds to claim a 28-12 advantage in the final frame.

Next Up
Elon will wait to find out its post-season fate when selections are made and bids are handed out on Monday, March 14

Elon Softball to Host Second Tournament This Weekend

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team hosts its second and final tournament of the season, the Elon Softball Tournament, this weekend as the maroon and gold welcomes the field of Central Connecticut State, Oakland and Niagara to Hunt Softball Park beginning on Friday, March 11 through Sunday, March 13.

Elon Softball Tournament Schedule
Friday, March 11
vs. Niagara: 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 12
vs. Oakland: 12:15 p.m.
vs. Niagara: 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 13
vs. Central Connecticut State: 12:00 p.m.

Live Coverage
Fans can follow the Phoenix via live stats over the weekend at the tournament. Updates will also be provided on Twitter at @elonscores and at the program’s handle @ElonUSoftball.

Series Histories
The Phoenix has met with each of the teams in the field only once on the softball diamond. Elon and Oakland last played each other in 2006 in Burlington, N.C., with the Phoenix suffering a 1-0 defeat. Elon earned a 6-5 win over Niagara in 2014 at its home tournament, but fell to CCSU, 1-0, last year.

Leading Off For Elon
• Going into the weekend, the Phoenix is hitting .311 collectively as a team and has scored 106 runs with 32 doubles and 97 RBI.
• Four players in the Phoenix’s regular lineup are hitting over .300 and one over .400 in sophomore Kara Shutt at .443.
• Elon opens its games strong with 22 runs in the first inning and is 7-2 overall when scoring in the opening frame. The Phoenix also has a 6-1 record when scoring first overall.
• The Phoenix has outhit its opponents in nine of its 19 games and has an 8-1 ledger overall in those contests.
• Shutt hustled for her Colonial Athletic Association-best ninth double of the season in Elon’s last contest against North Carolina on Wednesday, March 9. It was also the 23rd career double for the Greensboro, N.C., native
• With her three home runs this past weekend, junior Emily Roper moved into a tie with Jaimie Rao for seventh on the program’s all-time career list with 18.
• The Phoenix went 3-1 in its first tournament of the year during the weekend of Feb. 27-28. Elon suffered a 4-1 defeat to North Carolina A&T before rebounding to sweep Fairleigh Dickinson in its remaining games of the tournament.

Scouting the Phoenix (8-11)
Team BA: .311 | Team ERA: 4.24 | Runs Scored: 106 | Runs Allowed: 97
Elon is mired in a current four-game losing streak after falling to in-state rival North Carolina on Wednesday, March 9, 12-6. The six runs are the most runs that Elon has scored against the Tar Heels at the fast pitch level, but it’s the sixth straight loss to the Tar Heels in a series dating to 1998.

Although she didn’t have an RBI against the Tar Heels, Shutt still leads the squad in multi-RBI games on the year with four and is tied for the team-lead in multi-hit games with seven after racking up three on Wednesday. Her .443 average is currently sixth in the CAA and she’s third overall in total hits (27).

Roper’s three home runs leads the team and is one of seven players with 10 or more RBI in the lineup with her team-best 14. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native was selected to the Spartan Invitational All-Tournament team after she batted .385 (5-for-13) with her three homers, seven RBI and a 1.077 slugging percentage.

The Phoenix pitching staff has a cumulative team ERA of 4.24 on the year, but at home the Phoenix has a 2.05 ERA. The Phoenix is 4-2 in those games while allowing a .253 average and has three members of the team with an ERA of 3.00 or lower.

Scouting the field
Central Connecticut State: Sitting at 3-6 on the season, the Blue Devils are coming off a 31-14 campaign in 2015 and a trip to the NCAA Tournament after capturing their second Northeast Conference Tournament championship. CCSU was selected to finish fourth in the NEC 2016 Preseason poll. Central returned 12 players from its 2015 NEC Championship team, including five seniors who were all consistent starters in the Blue Devils lineup, but lost a pair of All-Conference and CCSU standouts in Laura Messina and Kat Malcolm. On the year, the Blue Devils are hitting .232 with two players hitting better than .300 with Evie Rentzel pacing the squad with a .400 average. Breanne Gleason is in her first year as the full-time head coach after spending the 2014 and 2015 seasons as the acting head coach.

Niagara: Members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Niagara heads into the weekend with a 2-6 ledger after going 1-4 at the Rebel Spring Games Tournament in Kissimmee, Fla., last weekend. Picked to finish 10th in the 2016 MAAC Preseason Poll, the Purple Eagles are led by third-year head coach Larry Puzan and returned 14 players from its team a season ago. On the year, Niagara is batting .292 with four regulars hitting north of .300 with Bridget Hogan leading the team with a .400 average. Hogan is also one of four players who have made an appearance in the circle for the Purple Eagles who have a 5.32 ERA as a team.

Oakland: The Golden Grizzlies are 3-9 on the year, but have not played since competing at the Battle at the Beach Tournament at Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 25-27. Members of the Horizon League and coming off a 27-24 record in 2015, the Golden Grizzlies were tabbed to defend its league title in the 2016 preseason poll. Oakland is hitting .208 as a program on the year as Brittney Miller has a team-best average at .480. She also has a team-high eight RBI and five doubles.

On Deck
Elon continues a nine-game homestand with a midweek matchup against Charlotte on Wednesday, March 16. That game begins at 5 p.m.

Elon Travels to South Carolina to Face Winthrop

ELON, N.C – The Elon University men’s tennis team hits the road on Friday, March 11, to face the Winthrop Eagles for a 2 p.m. match at the Memorial Courts.

All four of Elon’s losses have come against ranked opponents. The team is 7-0 against unranked competition this season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Phoenix (7-4) had a five-match winning streak snapped on Saturday with a 4-1 loss to No. 28 Old Dominion at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Winthrop (6-6) is 2-3 overall in its last five matches. Their two victories came against College of Charleston and Mercer. The Eagles fell to Troy 4-1 in its last matchup on Sunday.

SERIES HISTORY
In the Division I era, Winthrop has the 5-3 edge in the series. In the last matchup, Elon earned a narrow 4-3 victory during the 2014 season on March 14 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. The Phoenix has won the last two matchups against the Eagles.

HOME COOKING
The Phoenix has impressed on its home court to begin the season. Elon holds a 4-1 record at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and a 5-1 home record overall. Since the beginning of the 2013 spring season, the Phoenix has achieved a home record of 27-8.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
True freshmen have been carrying a heavy load for the Phoenix so far this season. Taylor Foote, Salvador Mijares, Felipe Osses-Konig, Mario Paccini, Felipe Sarrasague and Charlie Sullivan have combined for 22 of the team’s 36 singles wins through 10 matches.

Mijares is tied with Robert Lindgren for the team lead with six singles wins while Paccini is close behind with five victories.

LINDGREN EARNS CAA HONOR
Senior Robert Lindgren earned CAA Men’s Tennis Player of the Week today after finishing 1-0 in singles play, earning a win against North Carolina A&T and going unfinished in his singles match against No. 28 Old Dominion.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix returns to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center next week to host Navy on March 13 for a 2:30 p.m. match and on March 15 for a battle against Davidson at 3 p.m.

HEAD COACH MICHAEL LEONARD
Michael Leonard is in his 12th season as Elon’s director of tennis and head men’s tennis coach. Leonard is a five-time winner of the Southern Conference Coach of the Year award and has led the program to five conference championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

2016 CAA TOURNAMENT
Elon was selected to host the 2016 Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, which will be held April 21-24 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and the Burlington Tennis Center. It will mark the first-ever CAA Tournament hosted by the Phoenix and first conference tournament hosted by the program since the 2013 SoCon Tournament.

Lindgren Named CAA Men’s Tennis Player of the Week

RICHMOND, Va. – After a solid effort in singles play, Elon University men’s tennis senior Robert Lindgren was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Week, today, March 10, as announced by the league office.

Lindgren was selected as the conference player of the week after earning a 1-0 record in singles play as Elon cruised past North Carolina A&T, 7-0, and dropped a 4-1 decision to 28th-ranked Old Dominion last week.

The native of Bastad, Sweden, rolled by North Carolina A&T’s Kyle Scott, 6-0, 6-1, at the No. 2 singles position on March 2. The victory extended Elon’s lead 3-0 against the Aggies.

Playing at No. 3 against ODU on March 5, he put together a good match against the Monarchs’ Michael Weindl, but the match went unfinished after Old Dominion clinched the victory. The 4-6, 6-2, 1-2 result went unfinished. Lindgren has captured five of his last six matches and is tied for the team lead with seven victories for the season.

This is the second-career CAA Player of the Week honor for Lindgren. He earned the honor last season on March 11, 2015.

The Phoenix returns to action tomorrow on the road against the Winthrop Eagles. First serve is set for 2 p.m.