Smith Surpasses Milestone, Baseball Picks Up Much-Needed Split With Washington & Lee
Senior becomes 22nd player to record 150 hits as a Quaker
from Bryce Johnson, Director of Athletic Communications at Guilford College
LEXINGTON, Va. – Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) became the 22nd member of the 150 career hits club for the Guilford College baseball team (10-13, 2-7 ODAC), as they came from behind to take game one from Washington & Lee University (12-7-1, 7-5-1 ODAC), 5-4, before falling 12-5 in the late game, still claiming a much-needed Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) split at Cap’n Dick Smith Field on Saturday afternoon.
Racking up a Guilford freshman record, 64 hits in 2022 before a year hiatus, Smith returned to collect 57 knocks last spring before picking up hits in three of his first four plate appearances on in game one to reach 150 in his career. He is the first Quaker to reach that milestone since Michael Sumner in 2024.
Like last Saturday, it was a bit of a slow start for Tanner Royals (High Point, N.C.), allowing two in the first, one in the third, and one in the fourth, seeing his run of quality starts halted before locking in and matching his career-long of 7.0 innings pitched allowing four runs, all earned, on seven hits and two walks, fanning five in a no decision. Guilford worked Cooper Charneco, forcing him beyond the century mark of pitches by the end of the fifth. The right hander also did not factor into the decision, throwing 5.0 innings allowing eight hits and two walks, leading to three runs, all earned, against four K’s.
Instead, it came down to the bullpens, and fresh off one of the best outings of his career, albeit in a loss on Wednesday, Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.) picked up where he left off, going the final 2.0 frames allowing just a single hit. He was the beneficiary of the GC comeback, getting the win to improve to 2-1. Brody Pasieka took the defeat for W&L, tossing the final 4.0 innings allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits and two walks.
Going 3-4 with an intentional walk, Smith twice drove in the future 23rd Quaker to reach 150 career hits, Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.). Dark finished a 2-5 game, collecting GC’s only extra-base hit, a double, and driving in a run. Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) went 3-5, driving in two runs, including the game-winner.
Nathan DeWitte went 2-5 including a double, scoring a run and driving one in the contest. Alex Caywood scored twice, taking a walk, and doubling in a run. Landen Rucker reached twice, both hits, including a double, scoring once in the early game.
It was a tough outing for Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.), allowing a season-high 22 hits leading to six runs, five earned, over 4.0 innings, walking two and striking out two in a losing effort, falling to 4-4.
Henry Steene was great on the other side, going 7.2 innings allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and a walk, hitting three men and striking out two to get the win and improve to 2-1.
Smith recorded just one official at-bat in the late game, driving a pair of sacrifice flies. Dark kept churning out multi-hit games with his 13th of the year. Trae Pitts (Land O’ Lakes, Fla.) scored twice and Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) scored once and drove in one for GC.
It was a big game for Nick Caywood as he went 3-5 with a homer and a double, driving in four runs and scoring two. Andrew Thornton also had a trio of hits, scoring twice. Nick Lagges went 2-4 with a double, a run scored, and one driven in for the hosts.
GAME 1
Guilford struck in short order against Cooper Charneco with Chris Shoemaker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) setting the tone, working a full count and a free pass to leadoff the game. He eventually advanced on a wild pitch, but it did not matter much as a couple batters later, Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) hooked one inside the first base bag, plating the game’s initial run with his ODAC-leading 13th double of the year. Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) chased him home, lining a single into center, and the Quakers led 2-0 before a General grabbed a bat.
W&L had a swift response with Nathan DeWitte jumping Tanner Royals’ (High Point, N.C.) first pitch of the afternoon for a double, Alex Caywood followed up doing the same, advancing on a passed ball and scoring on an Andrew Thornton sacrifice fly. Nick Caywood got ahold of the third Generals double of the opening frame, but Royals navigated around it, picking up a K and a flyout to keep things level at two at the end of one.
The foes mirrored each other on the scoreboard in the third, this time with single runs. GC’s rally was sparked by another leadoff walk at the top of the lineup, this time drawn by Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.). He stole second, took third on a productive out from Dark, and scored on a Dominic Pegues (Raleigh, N.C.) single to left. Smith followed with career hit number-149, putting two on with one out, but they were stranded and the hosts countered. Alex Caywood took a four-pitch walk and Thornton got plunked ahead of a Nick Caywood sacrifice bunt as Washington & Lee put two in scoring position with one out without the benefit of a hit. Nick Lagges cashed in with an infield hit tying things again, now at three.
The Generals claimed their first lead of the day in the fourth, getting a man in scoring position at the turn of their lineup via a Landen Rucker hit and Jonathan French sacrifice. DeWitte claimed the lead with a single back through box, making it 4-3 through four.
The pitching for both sides did settle in some from there, with Royals locking in to face the minimum over his final three innings, giving the Quakers time to level the score. Dark got the top of the seventh started with a single and a steal, before Smith made his milestone hit matter, slipping it up the middle for the 150th knock of his Guilford career, as the equalizer at four.
This one’s big break would come in the top of the ninth thanks to a couple defensive gaffs. Lagges botched a grounder by Rodrigues that would have been the first out, as the Quakers brought on Cole Price (Summerfield, N.C.) to run. Then the Generals shortstop did it again, with his third error of the contest’s final two frames, putting runners on the corners. Pegues ensured the chance was not squandered, singling to left and putting GC in front. Stratton Barwick (Siler City, N.C.), who had entered and thrown a scoreless eighth polished it off with a flawless ninth, giving GC their first ODAC win on a weekend this season, 5-4.
GAME 2
Picking up right where they left off in game one against Henry Steene, cashing in on a Washington & Lee miscue, Guilford made it two-for-two with opening inning scores on the day. Trae Pitts (Land O’ Lakes, Fla.) got it going on the game’s third pitch, lifting it to right and misplayed by Jonathan French. Ryne Rodrigues (Summerfield, N.C.) did a job, rolling one over but getting Pitts in as GC grabbed the lead. The Generals answered with an unearned run of their own in the second. Nick Lagges hit a one-out single but a wild pickoff try by Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.) allowed him to take second. Camdyn Teague followed, dumping one into left-center to bring in the run, and even things at one.
The Quakers reclaimed the lead, in the third, loading the bases with no one out on HBP’s drawn by Pitts and Rodrigues then an infield hit by Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.). Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) brought a run in with a sacrifice fly, but it proved to be a missed chance. Unfortunately, the advantage was short lived, too, as the hosts put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning. Andrew Thornton and Nick Caywood singled to put two on. Lagges followed with a double inside the leftfield line, and while a great GC relay cut down Caywood, the potential go-ahead run, at the dish, Thornton had already scored, tying it at two.
W&L got back to work with their fourth and fifth-straight hits spanning the inning break with singles by Teague and Jackson Rogish. A sacrifice advanced them and French scored them with a hit, making it 4-2. Guilford got one back in the top of the fifth with a Rodrigues walk, a Dark single, sending him first-to-third, and Smith’s second sacrifice fly of the game, but the shutdown inning remained elusive, with Alex Caywood crushing a two-run homer for his second big fly of the year, making the score 6-3.
The host put this one away in the sixth against Jonathan Sendziak (McLeansville, N.C.), pilling up six runs, albeit only two earned, on four hits and a couple hit batsmen. While John Yarnovich (Summerfield, N.C.) and Braden Wilkie (Cornelius, N.C.) shut things down from there on the pitching side of things, GC’s offense could not get much traction against Steene and the Generals pen. They did eventually get a pair in the ninth on a Dawson Kirkland (Clermont, Fla.) single and Luke Blaydes’ (Charleston, W. Va.) first collegiate RBI, bringing the final score to 12-5.
GC wraps up their road trip and opens a huge week of ODAC play with a nonconference clash with Southern Virginia University on Tuesday, March 31st. First pitch in Buena Vista, Va. is set for 1:00 PM.
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