GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Washington and Lee baseball team split its ODAC-opening doubleheader against the Guilford Quakers with a game-two win on Saturday. Senior left fielder
Zach Perkins (Vienna, Va./James Madison) and first-year right fielder
Paul Ramseur (Atlanta, Ga./Pace) combined for three home runs to lift the Blue and White to an 11-8 victory.
The Generals (5-3, 1-1 ODAC) shot out to an early three-run lead with a Ramseur leadoff single followed by a Perkins two-run blast to right field in the first inning of game two. Junior first baseman
Drew Larsen (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) drove in the third run of the inning with a double to center field.
The Quakers (6-5, 1-1 ODAC) matched W&L with a three-run inning of their own in the bottom of the first. Junior shortstop Michael Sumner got the bats going with a double down the left-field line followed by a pair of walks to load the bases. Three Quakers crossed the plate following an error to tie the game at three.
The W&L offense kept working by scoring in all but three innings. Ramseur put the Generals back on top with a second-inning two-run homer to right center. Then, in a one-run game in the fifth, Larson doubled down the right-field line scoring two to push the lead to three. One inning later, Perkins repeated his first-inning at-bat with another two-run shot to right field.
Sophomore pitcher
John Benner (McLean, Va./St. Albans) (2-1) got the game-two win with a 5.1-inning outing. Benner held the Quakers to five runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out four. Sophomore reliever
Evan Blair (Vienna, Va./James Madison) picked up the save after striking out five during his 3.2-inning performance.
The Quakers got on the board first in game one with a two-run second inning after a single by Sumner. Guilford put up one more in the fourth, then first-year third baseman Rylan Smith and senior catcher Colin Smith hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth to stretch the lead to five. The Generals attempted a rally in the ninth but only managed one run on an RBI double by Ramseur.
The Generals combined for 18 hits on the day. Leading the way were Perkins, Ramseur and junior second-baseman
Jacob Jackson (Norfolk, Va./Maury). Perkins and Ramseur finished their day both going 3-for-8 and combining for seven runs batted in. Jackson finished with four singles and three runs scored.
Sophomore pitcher Jacob Ray (1-0) earned the game-one win after a six-inning, one-hit performance including four strikeouts. Junior reliever Chase Wade earned the save with a three-inning appearance allowing one run on two hits. Junior pitcher
Thomas Haller (Round Hill, Va./Woodgrove) (0-1) took the loss after a five-inning outing allowing just two earned runs.
The Generals return home to host Capital University on Tuesday beginning at 4:00 pm.
