College Baseball Final – Guilford 6, Piedmont 5

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Rookie Logan Washle’s (Raleigh, N.C./Homeschooled) two-out single in the seventh inning plated the winning run in Guilford College’s 6-5 comeback win over Piedmont College Friday in both teams’ season opener.

Junior Trevor Denton (Mechanicsville, Va./Hanover (Pitt C.C.)had an RBI, scored the go-ahead run and closed out the win with two scoreless innings for his first save as a Quaker.

The Quakers (1-0) overcame a 3-1, fifth-inning deficit after Andrew Burden’s two-run homer to right put the Lions in front, 3-1. Piedmont starter Max Brening allowed just two hits through four innings, but Guilford had four hits in a two-run fifth frame that tied the score at 3-3. Denton delivered a two-out bloop single right to score one run and Joe Metts followed with a double down the right-field line that scored Denton with the Quakers’ third run.

Guilford took the lead in the sixth on Michael Pinkston’s RBI double that chased Brening after 5.1 innings. Pinkston later scored on a passed ball, which gave Guilford a short-lived 5-3 edge.

Tyler Burdette and Griffin Olson led off with singles in the seventh, which put runners on the corners with no out and chased reliever Ryan Hill (Asheboro, N.C./SW Randolph). A balk by Caleb Gaster (1-0) advanced the runners and set the table for Zach Langley’s sacrifice fly that scored Olson with the tying run.

Denton worked a leadoff walk against David Craft (0-1) to start the seventh and moved to second when Metts reached on a misplayed grounder up the middle off of Ryan Stewart. Stewart retired the next two Quakers before Washle smacked his first college hit, a single off the glove of Olson at third into shallow left, which allowed Denton to score.

Denton got some solid defensive help in the eighth inning when Metts snared a line drive at first to start an inning ending double play. Pinkston gunned down Olston trying to steal second in the ninth inning for the frame’s second out.

Metts and Mitchell Stumpo (Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft) paced Guilford’s offense with two hits apiece, including doubles. Shepherd scored twice and added one of the Quakers’ 10 hits. Guilford starter John Todd fanned four in four innings.

Burden had two hits and two RBI for Piedmont. Olson also had two hits.

The teams meet again on Guilford’s Edgar McBane Field Saturday (2/4) at 1:00 p.m.

Guilford 6, Piedmont 5 (Feb 03, 2017 at Greensboro, NC)

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Piedmont............ 100 020 200  -  5  7  1      (0-1)
Guilford............ 100 022 10X  -  6 10  5      (1-0)
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Pitchers: Piedmont – Max Bening; David Craft(6); Ryan Stewart(7) and Collin Grant. Guilford – John Todd; Ryan Hill(5); Caleb Gaster(7); Trevor Denton(8) and Michael Pinkston.
Win-Caleb Gaster(1-0) Save-Trevor Denton(1) Loss-David Craft(0-1) T-2:40 A-125
HR PCM – Andrew Burden.
Weather: overcast, 40
Game notes:
Nonconference game
Game: GCB-01