GREENSBORO, N.C. – Senior Brittany LaPrade (Quinton, Va. / New Kent) and junior Taylor Sanderford (Mechanicsville, Va. / Atlee) each hit career-first home runs as Randolph-Macon split an Old Dominion Athletic Conference series with Guilford Saturday afternoon.

The Basics

Score: Randolph-Macon 7, Guilford 4; Guilford 10, Randolph-Macon 9

Location/Venue: Greensboro, N.C./Haworth Field

Records: Randolph-Macon (14-7, 4-4 ODAC), Guilford (17-4, 3-3 ODAC)

How It Happened – Game One

• Early in the first inning, Randolph-Macon found opportunities for runs. Senior Kerstin Roth (Yorktown, Va. / Grafton) hit a lead-off double. Junior Maddie Stone (Glen Allen, Va. / Glen Allen) laid down a bunt single to move her over to third, but she ended up coming home after the Guilford catcher committed a throwing error. After a pair of flyouts and a steal of second base by Stone, senior Candace Whittemore (Montpelier, Va. / Patrick Henry) batted Stone in with a single up the middle. Whittemore was batted home by junior Sami Davidson (Stafford, Va. / Brooke Point) on an RBI double. 
• Guilford tied the game with a three-run homer run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Quakers took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-out single to get in front 4-3.
• The Yellow Jackets answered in the sixth inning. Whittemore singled down the left field line to lead off the inning. Davidson moved Whittemore to second with a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout put the inning's second out on the board, junior Sam Scifres (Midlothian, Va. / Clover Hill) batted Whittemore in with a double to left field. Scifres then scored as Sanderford singled to center field and was credited with the RBI.
• In the top of the seventh inning, R-MC added a pair of runs to its lead. Stone earned a walk to lead off the inning. After senior Savannah Wood (Tappahannock, Va. / Essex) moved Stone to second with a sacrifice bunt, LaPrade hit her first collegiate career homer to bring both Stone and herself home and settled the final score at 7-4.

Inside The Numbers – Game One

• Whittemore struck out four and allowed just one walk in a complete-game effort inside the circle. She also went 3-4 at the plate with an RBI and two runs.
• Stone went 2-3 with two runs and a walk. Roth and Scifres were each 2-4 with a run scored.

How It Happened – Game Two

• The first inning was friendly to R-MC for the second game in a row. Roth singled to lead off the inning. Stone sacrificed her over to second on a bunt. Roth was brought home by Wood with a single to center field.
• Guilford hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning, but R-MC extended the play with an error and allowed a second run to come home.
• The Yellow Jackets answered with a big second inning. Scifres led off the frame with a single. She was sent to second by Sanderford on a sacrifice bunt. Junior Shelby Hill (Mechanicsville, Va. / St. Margaret's) tallied the RBI as Scifres came home on Hill's double. Hill moved to third on a wild pitch during Roth's at-bat and Roth then reached safely on an error while Hill scored. Stone and Wood were both hit by pitches to load the bases. A wild pitch during LaPrade's at-bat allowed Roth to score before LaPrade batted Stone home with an RBI single to left field. Whittemore earned an RBI next, bringing Wood home on a groundout to first base. Davidson finished the big inning with a double to right center to bring LaPrade home. R-MC finished the inning with six runs and took the 7-2 lead.
• Guilford cut the lead to 7-5 in the bottom of the second inning via a pair of R-MC errors.
• Sanderford added to the score with her first-collegiate home run to lead off the top of the third inning.
• Guilford added a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning, cutting the Yellow Jacket lead to 8-7. GC tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with a home run.
• Randolph-Macon broke the tie in the top of the sixth inning. Whittemore earned first base with a bunt single to lead off the inning. After two quick groundouts, Sanderford earned the two-out walk. Hill stepped up to the plate and batted Whittemore home with an RBI single to left field.
• Guilford ended the game with a pair of two-out hits in the bottom of the seventh. With a runner on, GC got a double to tie the game and a single through the right side to win 10-9.

Inside The Numbers – Game Two

• Roth was 3-4 with two runs scored.
• Whittemore went 2-5 with an RBI and a run.
• Sanderford was 1-2 with the RBI from her homer as well as a walk earned.
• Hill tallied a team-high two RBIs going 2-4 with a run as well.
• Sophomore Madie Rhoads (Portsmouth, Va. / Nansemond River) got the start and went 2.0 innings. Sophomore Ali Celiberti (Powhatan, Va. / Powhatan) pitched 3.1 innings with a strikeout. Whittemore pitched the final 1.1 innings and struck out two, but got hit with the loss.

Up Next

Randolph-Macon will face Emory & Henry tomorrow at 1:00 PM.