College Baseball Final – Roanoke 3, Guilford 1

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Roanoke College’s John Ruhlman and Steven Loney combined for six shutout innings with six combined strikeouts as Guilford College dropped a Wednesday afternoon Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) contest to Roanoke, 3-1. The Maroons are ranked 20th in the latest D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top-25 Poll.

Guilford (13-10, 1-4 ODAC) starting pitcher Ty Walser cruised through the first three innings, allowing only one run and one hit as Roanoke moved Will Black around the bases with two ground outs and wild pitch to plate a run. Walser settled and sat down the Maroons (17-5, 2-2 ODAC) quickly over the next two innings. Walser benefited from defensive help in the top of the fourth inning as Rocco Wilcox made a diving catch towards the wall in left-center field and threw the ball back to first base to put Sean Guida out, completing the double play.

Roanoke produced two singles one inning later to plate a second run on Will Decker’s single. Donald Collier provided an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning on the inning’s only single.

A Trevor Denton one-out RBI-double to right-center field put the Quakers back in the contest after a Wilcox walk to cut the deficit.

Denton provided Guilford’s lone multi-hit effort on a three-for-four afternoon.

Dean Cassity provided Roanoke’s lone multi-hit effort, batting two-for-three.

Walser (1-2) took the loss for the Quakers, striking out three batters in six innings. He only gave up five hits. Joe LeNoir struck out one in two innings while Denton pitched the final inning in relief with a clean line.

Loney (1-0) took the win in a two-inning relief effort. Ruhlman struck out five in a four inning start. Sal Trancucci claimed his first save of the season with a three-inning effort where he walked one and gave up Guilford’s only run.

The Quakers continue their homestand Saturday, hosting Virginia Wesleyan College for a 1 p.m. ODAC doubleheader.