GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford softball team completed a two-game sweep of Salem on Saturday afternoon in Greensboro, N.C. The Quakers opened the day with a 12-1 (5 inn.) win before using a series of late game heroics to claim the second game by a 4-3 margin in a clash of the Triad rivals.
GAME 2: Guilford 4, Salem 3
Locked in a 3-3 deadlock entering the home half of the seventh inning, Guilford's Grace Calus lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Alli Clemens from third, to give the Quakers a 4-3 walk-off win on Saturday afternoon.
Salem (0-2) established a 3-0 lead in the third by virtue of three hits and a Guilford error. Faythe Bowles reached on a hit by pitch and motored to second after teammate Carlee McWilliam had the first single of her collegiate career.
Two batters later, Madison Thomas delivered an RBI single through the left side of the infield, scoring Bowles for the 1-0 Salem lead. Savanah Atkins loaded the bases when she drew a walk, setting the table for Brianne Coleman. Coleman dropped in a single and moved to second on a throwing error, which allowed both Thomas and McWilliam to score, resulting in a 3-0 Spirit lead.
Guilford sliced the lead to 3-1 in the fourth, following a throwing error that allowed Kassidy Lancos to score Emma Patterson. Lancos drew the game even in the fifth with a two RBI single to centerfield that brought home both Patterson and Clemens.
Thomas issued six walks and scattered four runs on four hits in 6.1 innings in the circle for Salem. Morgan Kinney tossed the first three innings for Guilford, allowing three hits, three runs (two ER) while making four strikeouts. Shiloh Gray took over in the circle for the Quakers and allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out four Salem sluggers in four innings.
GAME 1: Guilford 12, Salem 1 (5 innings)
Salem's Savanah Atkins and Brianne Coleman each connected on a double to account for the two hits by the Spirits' offense. Atkins delivered a one-out double in the fourth and came home one batter later when Coleman connected on a two-base hit of her own to account for the lone Salem run.
The Quakers (1-6) capitalized on three multi-run innings to earn the opening game win by a 12-1 margin, capturing their first win of the slate. Alli Clemens was one of three Guilford sluggers with multiple hits in the contest, finishing off a 4-for-4 performance from the plate with four RBI, one double and a home run. Kassidy Lancos (3-3, 2 RBI, 2 run) was also responsible for a double and teammate Katey Griswold (2-3, RBI, 2 runs) also notched a double in her multi-hit performance for the Quakers.
Ally Morales reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Lancos from third, to provide Guilford the 1-0 lead in the first. Griswold drove in Grace Calus with a double, pushing the lead to 2-0 early in the second. Two batters later, Caitlyn Ray blasted a two-run home run, plating Griswold from third, as the lead grew to 4-0.
Lancos singled in Abbie Hill for the fifth run of the game and moved to second when Ray reached on a Salem outfield miscue, which also allowed Griswold to trot home for the 6-0 Quaker lead. Clemens provided additional punch to the Guilford offense with a three-run home run, scoring Ray and Lancos, for 9-0 advantage.
Salem scored its lone run in the top of the fourth, when Coleman brought home Atkins from second. In the home half of the inning, Guilford tacked on three runs on three hits, capitalizing on three Salem errors for the 12-1 lead.
Hill opened the fourth inning with a double for the Quakers, scoring when Calus reached on an outfield error. Lancos kept the inning going with a double that scored Calus for the 11-1 lead. Clemens had an RBI single that plated Griswold for the final run of the game.
Salem completes its two-day, four-game road trip on Sunday when the Spirits face Ferrum at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in Ferrum, Virginia.