Guilford College Baseball Celebrates Senior Day, Drop Pair to Randolph-Macon
Quaker bats quiet after weather delay, see season conclude
from Bryce Johnson, Director of Athletic Communications, at Guilford College
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College baseball team (22-16, 8-14 ODAC) honored their seniors at McBane Field on Saturday afternoon, but could not keep the party started in the games against Randolph-Macon College (24-12, 15-7 ODAC), dropping a pair of contests, 11-8 and 10-2 in eight innings in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play, and ultimately, their season finale.
Pregame, GC recognized their ten seniors, Carter Blum (McLeansville, N.C.), Josh Howard (Salem, Va.), Collin McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.), Izaac McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.), Jacob Phillips (Browns Summit, N.C.), Jack Ratliff (Greensboro, N.C.), Jacob Ray (Burlington, N.C.), Grayson Tudor (Reidsville, N.C.), and Devin Tonkins (Greensboro, N.C.), for their numerous contributions to the program during their tenue with the Quakers.
Then the games began and Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) got the ball in game one and did not factor into the decision after allowing six runs, three of them earned, on five hits, two walks, and two hit batsmen, fanning three. Jackson Marcellus (Chapel Hill, N.C.) ended up suffering his loss of the season in relief, falling to 6-1 after allowing three runs, all earned, on three walks and one hit in his 1.0 inning.
Also, not factoring into the decision, GC got to Yellow Jackets’ game one starter, Bere Bauers as he allowed six runs, all earned, on ten hits and a hit batter, although he did strikeout seven. Michael Shanahan improved to 3-0 out of the bullpen with 2.0 flawless innings with two strikeouts.
Offensively, Blum did everything he could to extend his senior season with a career-best day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double, four RBI’s, and scoring once. Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) hit a big two-run double in the game as well. Collin McGuire had a double among his two hits, scoring twice.
Carter Schmitt led the R-MC offense, doubling twice in a 3-for-5 showing, driving in three and scoring once. Jack Boles also drove in three with a double while C.J. Chatterton scored twice and drove in two in a 2-of-5 game. Chaz Harvey also went deep in the early game.
In what ended up as his final collegiate game, Jacob Phillips (Browns Summit, N.C.) threw 5.0 innings of five-run baseball allowing two walks and eight hits against four strikeouts. He kept GC in the game in the night cap, but still fell to 6-2 with the decision.
William Wian got the ball for Randolph-Macon and with a stop-and-start rhythm, he only went 5.0 innings allowing seven hits and two walks leading to two runs while fanning six, doing enough to up his record to 6-1. The winner in game one, Shanahan fanned six against a hit and a walk to get the save the long way in game two.
In the second contest, Tudor and Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) owned identical 3-of-4 lines with a double, with Williams adding a run scored. Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) connected on a double in his two at-bats driving in a run and scoring once. Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) owned the final Quaker hit while Howard did not get a knock, but drew a walk and drove in a run in the game.
Harvey went deep again in game two for the Yellow Jackets, but it hurt more, as it was a three-run shot. He finished 3-of-4 with two runs scored and four driven in. Schmitt added another two RBIs with a double and Logan Duff had a two-run single. Chatterton reached on a single and a walk, scoring both times for the guests.
GAME 1
Randolph-Macon got a pair of unearned tallies in the first when Jack Boles reached on a Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) error and Carter Schmitt doubled to put two in scoring position. Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) got on the verge of escaping with just one run by picking up a strikeout and a groundout by Aidan Pinto that did score the lead runner. However, Aaron Lautenschlager singled into left ahead of the third out as the guests grabbed an advantage before a Quaker grabbed a bat. Ricigliano did not do himself any favors in the second, hitting the seventh batter, James Bafone, in an advantage count ahead of a steal and an error to advance him to third, then the junior walked the eighth batter, Jon Quici, and he stole second to put two in scoring position with one out as the lineup turned over. Boles rocketed one to center for a sacrifice fly, scoring another unearned run as the lead extended to 3-0 in the second.
Guilford broke through in the bottom of the third as Collin McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.) celebrated his Senior Day with a blast, smoking one into the gap in right-center for a leadoff double. Devin Tonkins (Greensboro, N.C.) did his job, advancing him on a flyout, and Carter Blum (McLeansville, N.C.) snuck a single back through the middle, getting them on the board. Unfortunately, they could not build on the momentum in their shutdown inning opportunity. Zach Wenowski worked a leadoff free pass and got to third thanks to a sacrifice bunt and a productive out. C.J. Chatterton floated a single over short to score the run and stole second before Bowles cranked a ball that hit the corner of the top of the fence, likely collected splinters, then careened back into play. He had a double and a run batted in as the score advanced to 5-1.
Opening the bottom of the fourth, Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) hit a leadoff hustle double to left-center and crossed the plate thanks to a pair of Bere Bauers wild pitches, but again, the shutdown inning was elusive since Chaz Harvey jumped Ricigliano’s first pitch of the fifth and drove his seventh home run of the season out to center. R-MC pieced together another on an infield hit, a throwaway on a pickoff attempt, and a couple of productive groundouts in the sixth, but GC’s breakthrough loomed on the other side of the seventh inning stretch.
For the second time on the day, it was the seniors who provided the spark for GC. McGuire and Tonkins singled to turn the lineup over and Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) fought back from behind in the count, eventually getting hit on the toe by a pitch to load the bases for Blum and the second baseman came through. Slicing one inside the line in right and emptying the bases, the fourth-year Quaker waved his arms in encouragement to his bench following a clutch three-run double. The knock prompted a pitching change for the Yellow Jackets as they turned to Sam Slevin. He fanned the first two batters he faced, but Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) ensured the chance did not get squandered, singling into right with Blum just beating the play at the plate to make it a one-run game. Grayson Tudor (Reidsville, N.C.) kept the line moving with a hit and Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) flipped the game on its head doubling just out of the reach of the leftfielder, short-hopping the Greensboro Monster and bouncing away. Williams scored easily, the carom allowed Tudor to also come home without significant contest, and all of a sudden, Guilford led 8-7.
R-MC did quickly level the score in the top of the eighth. Chatterton turned the lineup over with a single then got sacrificed to second, reached third on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground-rule double by Carter Schmidt. Chase Wade (Archdale, N.C.) settled though. With the game teetering on the brink after a single put runners on the corners with one out, he struck out the next two men, to keep the game tied at eight.
The game hit a wall thanks to mother nature in the bottom of the eighth as Tonkins worked a full count before a lightning strike sent the contest into a one hour and 40-minute delay. Out of the stoppage, Michael Shanahan entered for the Yellow Jackets and completed the longest at bat of the season with a strikeout and the delay just took the wind out of GC’s sails, as they could not get their offense restarted.
Entering the ninth, Jackson Marcellus (Chapel Hill, N.C.) entered for the Quakers and unfortunately, he loaded the bases on three consecutive walks. Chatterton brought in the go-ahead run by hitting one on the ground to second that was bobbled just enough to force Blum to only take the out at first. The fifth-year righty got on the verge of escaping by getting another rollover that the runner held on but then Carter Schmitt popped one that found the right real estate in center for a hit, and with runners off on contact, they both scored easily to bring the score to the final of 11-8.
GAME 2
After a fairly quiet first that saw Jacob Phillips (Browns Summit, N.C.) set down Randolph-Macon in order, Guilford tried to get on the board in the home half. Carter Blum (McLeansville, N.C.) drew a one-out walk but was replaced by Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) due to a fielder’s choice. Grayson Tudor (Reidsville, N.C.) followed with a double into the corner in right, and the Quakers tried to score Rodrigues, but he was thrown out at the plate and the Yellow Jackets rode that momentum into the second.
Zach Wernowski tripled on a ball that Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) lost in the sun, then Aaron Lautenschlager doubled him in. Jon Quici followed with a comebacker that Phillips knocked down but threw away on a weird play at third that forced Lautenschlager to exit with an injury. A couple batters later, Logan Duff hit a single to score both runners. A couple of walks and a Chaz Harvey single resulted in another run making the score 4-0.
Guilford worked back in it in the bottom of the second with Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) hitting a single and Dark splitting the gap in left-center for a double, with Williams scoring from first on the play. Aggressive baserunning got him to third on an Ethan George (Burlington, N.C.) grounder to short before Devin Tonkins (Greensboro, N.C.) walked and stole second. Josh Howard (Salem, Va.) got in the run with a groundout as the deficit was cut in half.
Randolph-Macon added an insurance run on a Harvey single followed by an Aidan Pinto triple in the fifth but blew the game open in the sixth. Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.) entered in relief and hit the first two batters then Jack Bowles singled to load the bases right away. Carter Schmidt doubled in two then Harvey hit the dagger, launching the second pitch he saw over the Greensboro Monster for a three-run homer making the score 10-2, and that is where it would remain through the contest’s conclusion, ending after eight frames due to darkness.
With Ferrum College sweeping Washington & Lee University elsewhere in the ODAC, and thus jumping them in the standings, this concludes the 2025 season for the Guilford College baseball team.
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