College Softball Finals – Guilford 5-4, William Peace 4-8

RALEIGH, N.C. – Guilford College’s softball team split its season-opening doubleheader at William Peace University Sunday afternoon. The Quakers won the opener, 5-4, and dropped the nightcap, 8-4.

Guilford (1-1) carried a 5-1 lead into the first game before the Pacers (1-1) plated three runs with two outs to make it a 5-4 game. The Quakers’ replaced starting pitcher Courtney Lackey (1-0) with rookie Katie McNeil, who earned the save by retiring Kacy Haithcock with the potential go-ahead run at second base.

Lackey smacked a bases-loaded single in the top of the seventh, which scored two crucial insurance runs. Makayla Carver also had a two-run single among her two hits and Katy Holt added an RBI groundout. Makayla Crawford added two hits for the Quakers.

Mojica went 3-for-4 with two RBI for William Peace in game one. Alexa Nemeth had two hits, scored twice, and had an RBI.

The Pacers jumped on Guilford starter Carver for three runs in the first inning and never trailed in an 8-4 game-two victory. The Quakers put two runs across in the second inning, but William Peace added two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth off of McNeil to open an 8-2 margin.

Heather McLean went 3-for-3- with a homer and four RBI to lead William Peace’s offense. Jordan Mangum and Olivia Oates added two hits apiece. Sophomore Danielle Hunt, who played with Guilford last season, picked up her first win as a Pacer with five strikeouts in four innings.

Crawford went 3-for-3 with a walk to pace Guilford’s offense. Holt had two hits and Sarah Adams cracked a two-run home run in the second inning. The Quakers stranded 12 runners in the contest.

Coach Dennis Shores’ club opens its home schedule Wednesday (2/21) versus Methodist University at 1:30 p.m.