College Softball Finals – Greensboro 5-7, Guilford 2-0

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Greensboro College’s Kelsey Sanfilippo and Hannah Pennell combined on a two-hit shutout and Heather Nellis belted a three-run homer in the Pride’s 7-0 softball win over Guilford College. The triumph capped a sweep of Tuesday’s nonconference twinbill after Greensboro scored three runs in the seventh inning for a 5-2 opening-game win.

Sanfilippo improved to 6-0 with four innings of one-hit ball and fanned three before giving way to Pennell. Pennell collected her first save of the year and struck out four in the final three innings.

Heather Nellis fueled the Pride’s 14-hit attack with three hits, including a three-run homer in the fifth off of Guilford starter Ashley Boteler (2-1) to open a 6-0 lead. Nellis also doubled and scored a run in the seventh. Greensboro’s Rebecca Pink, Hayley Hicks and Jackie Nicholson added two hits apiece.

Pink’s sacrifice fly broke a 2-2 tie and started the decisive seventh inning in game one. Brittany Evans followed with a run-scoring double and scored one batter later on Hicks’ RBI single. The Quakers could not answer in the home seventh against Nicholson, who improved to 2-1 with a complete game. She yielded two unearned runs, walked two and fanned four.

Kanisha Fogg had three of Greensboro’s 11 hits in the opener, along with two runs and two stolen bases. Evans and Kelsey Burkett both added two hits.

Kimberly Keys and Cynthia Hayes both had two hits for Guilford (5-3).

The Quakers return to action Friday (3/9) in Myrtle Beach, S.C., against Johnson State College and Penn State University-Altoona.

Greensboro – 5
Guilford – 2
Mar 06, 2012 at Greensboro, NC – Game 1

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   Greensboro.......... 002 000 3 -  5 11  1      (7-4)
   Guilford............ 002 000 0 -  2  5  2      (5-2)
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Pitchers: Greensboro – Jackie Nicholson and Hayley Hicks. Guilford – Jessica Burcham and Morgan Andrews.
Win-Jackie Nicholson(2-1)
Loss-Jessica Burcham(3-2)
T-1:55
A-50
Weather: sunny,low 50’s
Game: GCS-07

Greensboro – 7
Guilford – 0
Mar 06, 2012 at Greensboro, NC – Game 2

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   Greensboro.......... 201 030 1 -  7 14  0      (8-4)
   Guilford............ 000 000 0 -  0  2  2      (5-3)
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Pitchers: Greensboro – Kelsey Sanfilippo; Hannah Pennell(5) and Hayley Hicks. Guilford – Ashley Boteler; Shelby Bowser(6) and Morgan Andrews.
Win-Kelsey Sanfilippo(6-0)
Save-Hannah Pennell(1)
Loss-Ashley Boteler(2-1)
T-1:44
A-50

HR GBRO – Heather Nellis.
Weather: 52, sunny
Game: GCS-08