SALEM, Va. – Makayla Crawford and Brooks Bray (Thomasville, N.C./Ledford) homered in Guilford College’s 9-6 softball win at Roanoke College Wednesday night as the Quakers split their Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) openers with the host Maroons. Taylor Carter’s walk-off single in the seventh gave Roanoke a 5-4 opening-game win.
The Quakers (16-4, 1-1 ODAC) broke open a 5-5 nightcap with a four-run sixth inning that featured Crawford’s second home run of the season, followed by Casey Snead’s run-scoring single and a two-run double by Taylor Boyd. The Maroons (10-8, 1-1 ODAC) answered with a single run in the sixth on Taylor Slate’s sacrifice fly. Guilford starter Makayla Carver (5-1) stranded a runner at third that inning and worked around a Becca Wenger single in the seventh for her fourth complete game of the season.
Guilford’s Anna Wolfe had a game-high three hits and two RBI. Bray, Snead, Boyd and Caroline Barnette (Matthews, N.C./Butler) each finished with two hits as Guilford banged out 15 knocks in the victory.
Erin Forbes had two hits and scored three of the Maroons’ six runs in game two. Jordan Meador also had two hits and Carter was 1-for-2 with two RBI. Teresa Wagner (2-3), one of four Roanoke pitchers, took the loss in relief.
Wagner won the opener with one-and-a-third innings in relief of starter Taylor Asimakopoulos. She benefitted from Roanoke’s sixth-inning rally that turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead. Guilford tied the game in the seventh on a Barnette home run, but Roanoke answered with Carter’s walk-off hit. Erin Forbes singled to lead off the inning and stole second. Slate bunted her to third before Carter singled her in to end the game.
Forbes and Taylor Sutherland both had two hits for Roanoke. Katie Smith knocked in two runs.
Barnette and Jordan Starke both had two hits for Guilford. Snead (1-2) took the loss in relief of starter Courtney Lackey.
Coach Dennis Shores Quakers host Randolph College Saturday (3/26) in an ODAC doubleheader at 1:00 p.m.