GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jessica Burcham (Lexington, N.C./South Davidson) surpassed the 500 career strikeout plateau in Guilford College’s 4-0 softball victory over Meredith College Wednesday. The senior’s school-record 15th career shutout salvaged a split of the nonconference twinbill after the Avenging Angels rallied for a 5-4 win in the opener.
Burcham, a senior, fanned a season-high 10 in her second shutout of the year. She scattered six hits and did not walk a batter. With a school-record 502 strikeouts, Burcham sits third among the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s (ODAC) career leaders.
The Quakers (14-18) scored all of their runs in the fifth inning, two off a one-out double by Morgan Andrews (Pittsboro, N.C./Chatham Central). Ashley Boteler added an RBI single in the frame.
Losing pitcher Amanda White (2-2) had two of Meredith’s (29-11) six hits.
White’s two-run single in the fourth inning of the opener started the Avenging Angels’ comeback. The Quakers jumped on Meredith ace Jessica Dzeskewicz (Yadkinville, N.C./Forbush) for three runs in the first and Boteler smacked her team-leading fourth homer with two out in the third for a 4-0 Guilford lead.
Boteler (4-6) took a 4-2 lead into the sixth, but issued consecutive one-out walks that came around to score. Kristen Piner’s two-out, two-run single plated the tying and go-ahead runs in the inning.
Carrie Webster (5-0) (Pittsboro, N.C./Northwood) relieved Dzeskewicz in the third and twirled five innings of three-hit ball with a walk and three strikeouts. The lone run she allowed was Boteler’s homer.
Andrews and Sloane King (Asheboro, N.C./Southwestern Randolph) both had two hits for Guilford.
The Quakers play ODAC doubleheaders this Saturday (4/14) and Sunday (4/15) at Sweet Briar College and Randolph-Macon College, respectively.