Rodrigues, Bullpen Key Baseball Victory Over Shenandoah
Junior first baseman drives in five, most by a Quaker this season
from Bryce Johnson, Director of Athletic Communications at Guilford College
WINCHESTER, Va. – Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) drove in five runs, including a huge three-run double, while the relief corps of the Guilford College baseball team (16-9, 4-8 ODAC) came up clutch, allowing just a single unearned run over the final five innings to grab a crucial Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) win over nationally receiving votes Shenandoah University (18-9, 9-4 ODAC), 9-5, at Kevin Anderson Field on Friday evening.
Unable to duplicate his masterpiece against SU from last spring, Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) did not factor into the decision after throwing 4.0 innings allowing four runs, all earned, on eight hits and a walk, striking out one. Jackson Marcellus (Chapel Hill, N.C.) grabbed his fifth win of the season instead, going 2.2 innings of relief, permitting just a single unearned run on one hit and one walk, fanning two and improving to 5-0. Chase Wade (Archdale, N.C.) locked down the final six outs, allowing two hits and clinching his third save.
Entering with a sub-one ERA coming in, Guilford got to SU starter Liam Stewart, dropping him to 1-1 by scoring five runs, all earned, on three hits, a hit batsman, and a walk.
Rodrigues was the top run-producer on his 4-for-5 day with a double, but it was thanks to the outstanding table-setting by the four in front of him as Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.), Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.), Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.), and Grayson Tudor (Reidsville, N.C.) all scored two runs each. Dark finished 2-of-5 and Smith 1-of-4 with an RBI-double, but Williams and Tudor did damage. Both reached in four of their five plate appearances with two walks and two hits with the later hitting a double and driving in a run for the Quakers.
The number-two scoring offense in the ODAC that SU features was held at bay on this night. Sure, they racked up a dozen hits, but GC just did not let anything spiral on them. Brody Pickette collected a team-leading three hits for the hosts, driving in a run and Noah Cornwell hit a double and drove in a run in a 2-of-5 evening. Kyle Garrett scored twice and Jaime Padilla drove in two on a double for the Hornets.
SU would open the scoring with two outs in the third when Garrett singled and came all the way home on a Cornwell double, but this one would really open up in the fourth. Perfect the first time through the Quaker nine, Stewart hit Smith after singles by Dark and Williams to load the bases. Tudor worked a free pass to force in a run, then Rodrigues brought a swift and sudden end to the outing of the Shenandoah starter, smacking a double down the rightfield line to empty the bags. A Carter Blum (McLeansville, N.C.) productive groundout then a Devin Tonkins (Greensboro, N.C.) bloop single got in the fifth run of the inning as Guilford had seized an advantage they would never relinquish.
The Hornets battled back in the home half as Conor Houser singled and Hadan Madagan doubled as an immediate response for the hosts. Ricigliano would get the first out then Christian Carver singled in a tally ahead of the second out. Padilla would make it tight with a two-run double, but a lineout ended the threat, maintaining a 5-4 lead.
In the top of the fifth, the Quakers got some breathing room as Williams drew a leadoff walk and scored all the way from first on a Smith two-bagger to right-center. Tudor and Rodrigues followed suit with singles to score the run but after Blum drew a free pass to load the bases, still with no outs, a strikeout and a double play ended the inning and GC let a chance to really blow the game open, slip past. They got another add-on run via a Rodrigues single in the sixth, but it would not matter as Marcellus entered and put in some great work in relief. Permitting just a walk over the fifth and sixth innings, SU go one against the graduate student in the seventh when Garrett reached and advanced on a throwing error before Pickette dumped an RBI-single into right. Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) came on and walked his man, but then freshman Hayden Sekanick (Tampa, Fla.) came up big, fanning Madagan to limit the threat and maintain the lead.
After Shenandoah got the first two men on against Sekanick in the eighth, it was Wade’s turn for some clutch pitching as he got a fielder’s choice then a line drive double play to escape further trouble. Blum plated Tudor with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead, and while SU got two aboard in the ninth, Wade locked it down to complete the 9-5 win.
Guilford finishes their split weekend set against nationally receiving votes Shenandoah University tomorrow, Saturday, April 5th, with a single game at 1:00 PM.
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