WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The middle of the Salem lineup, which consisted of Brianne Coleman, Savanah Atkins and Breanna Herman, all cracked a home run in the second game of a doubleheader with Guilford, but it was a seven-run sixth inning that proved to be the difference as the Quakers completed the afternoon sweep with a 12-9 victory.
Salem (0-2) received four hits and five RBI from the trio of Coleman, Atkins and Herman in the game. Atkins, who finished 1-for-4 from the plate, closed with a team-high three RBI. Herman, who was 3-for-4 from the plate, led the way for the Spirits in hits.
The Spirits also received multi-hit performances from leadoff hitter Brittany Morton (2-for-4, RBI, run) and Miranda Barker (2-for-4, RBI, run). Morton accounted for the only other multi-base hit, a double, which came in the seventh inning.
Guilford (6-2) scored its first run of the game in the second inning when Kylie Richardson reached base on a throwing error at second, allowing Jessie Beck to trot home from third. The Spirits answered in the home half of the frame when Herman led off with a solo home run over the left field wall.
The Salem offense exploded for four runs in the third when Morton reached base on a single to short. Hannah Thompson advanced the runner to second before Barker sent an RBI single up the middle to give Salem its first lead of the day, 2-1. Two batters later, after Coleman flied to right, Atkins sent a three-run home run to centerfield to stretch the Salem advantage to 5-1.
Guilford briefly sliced the margin to three, 5-2, in the top of the fifth with a Sarah Aukamp double to right field that ricocheted off the wall, allowing her to score on the play. Coleman got the run back for the Spirits in the bottom of the fifth with a home run to left, making for a 6-2 contest.
The big inning for the Quakers came in the top of the sixth, when they put seven runs across. After a Natalie Conrad single cut the Salem lead in half, Aukamp delivered a two-run single through the right side of the infield to make for a 6-5 game. Casey Bunting followed in the Guilford lineup by hitting a home run over the centerfield wall, giving Guilford an 8-6 lead, it would not relinquish.
The Quakers tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the seventh, including a two-run single to center by Bunting, as they forged in front 12-6. Salem answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame. The seventh Salem run crossed the plate when Hannah Escala roped a single into right field to plate Coleman. Jessica Cummings followed with a single into left centerfield, scoring Herman. Two batters later, Morton connected on a double down the left field line, to bring home Escala.
GAME 1: Guilford 10, Salem 5
Guilford earned the victory in game one of the doubleheader by a 10-5 margin, keyed by the offensive production of Casey Bunting, who finished 2-for-4 from the plate with six RBI. Bunting was responsible for the lone extra-base hit by the Quakers, a grand slam home run in the second.
Joining Bunting with multi-hit performances for Guilford (5-2) were Kayli Blankenship (2-4, 2 runs) and Kayla Leibman (2-3, run). The Quakers closed the game with 10 hits with seven batters notching at least one hit in the contest.
Brittany Morton led the way for Salem (0-1), finishing 2-for-4 from the plate with three RBI and two runs scored. Morton also accounted for a three-run homerun and a double. Senior catcher Madison Burch came through with a double for the Spirits, finish 1-for-3 in the process. Salem finished with 10 hits in the game with eight of the nine hitters in the Spirits' lineup coming through with at least one hit.
Guilford put the first runs of the game across in the second, grabbing a 2-0 lead with a fielding miscue at second base. With runners on the corners, Natalie Conrad delivered a single through the right side of the infield to extend the lead to three runs. Blankenship followed with a single to left, loading the bases for Sarah Aukamp.
Aukamp worked the count in her favor, drawing the bases-loaded walk, to make for a 4-0 Quaker lead. With the bases loaded, Bunting drove a home run over the left field wall for the 8-0 score.
Salem got three runs back in the bottom of the third when Burch opened the frame with a double to centerfield. Miranda Barker roped a single through the right side, putting runners on the corners, before Morton slammed a home run to left centerfield, slicing the Quaker lead to 8-3.
Two innings later, in the Salem half of the fifth, Morton kickstarted the offense with a double to left centerfield. Hannah Thompson followed with single, moving Morton into scoring position at third. Brianne Coleman slapped a single into right, driving home the fourth Salem run of the game. Two batters later Madison Thomas single to third, putting runners on the corners with Breanna Herman at the plate. Herman came through with a clutch single, trimming the Guilford lead to 8-5.
Leibman led off the Guilford sixth with a single to third, quickly moving to second on a fielding error at short with Conrad at the plate. Blankenship dropped a single to second, loading the bases for Aukamp, who reached on a fielder's choice that caught Leibman at home. Bunting connected on her second hit of the game, a single into left field, scoring Aukamp and Blakenship for the final two runs of the game.
Katie McNeill (4-1) picked up the win for the Quakers on the mound, allowing five runs on 10 hits while walking three. McNeill struck out two Salem hitters along the way. Barker suffered the loss for Salem.
The Spirits return to the field this weekend when they head to Emory, Va., for a clash with non-conference clash with Emory & Henry. The Saturday contests are set to begin at 1 p.m.
