Softball | 2/16/2014 6:54:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist softball team was swept by Guilford College in its season opener on Sunday afternoon. The Quakers took a 15-3 decision in six innings in the opener, and then held off MU, 4-1, in the nightcap.
 
The Quakers (2-0) opened the twinbill by scoring four runs, all unearned, in the top of the first inning for a 4-0 lead. Cynthia Hayes led off the game by reaching on an error and would end up scoring on an RBI groundout by Laura Hall. Calli Pastor added an RBI single to center that scored Rachel Howard for a 2-0 lead. A wild pitch led to a run by Marty Wilcox and Pastor capped the scoring when she came in on Steffi Sides' single to third for a 4-0 lead.
 
MU (0-2) crept within in a single run with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Cayley Oldham clubbed a double to left center that brought around Heather Williams and Savannah Upshaw to make it 4-2, and Ally Griffin singled to score Kirsten Markow, who had come in to run for Oldham, to make it 4-3.
 
The Quakers Maggie Shaffer, however, kept the Monarchs off the scoreboard the remainder of the contest, and GC scored three times in the fifth, and seven times in the sixth to earn the win.
 
Shaffer picked up the win, allowing four hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Sarah Stapleton (0-1) started for Methodist and was tagged with the loss. She gave up seven runs (3 ER) on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.
 
Offensively, MU was led by Griffin, who finished 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Oldham added one hit in three at-bats with a run driven in, and Upshaw was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
 
Hayes led Guilford, recording four hits in five at-bats with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Pastor finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored, and Rachel Howard added a pair of base hits with two walks, two RBI and two runs.
 
In the nightcap, Methodist took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Oldham singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by the Quakers. She moved up to third on a single by Griffin, then scored on Allyson Aycock's sacrifice fly to right.
 
The Monarchs' lead stood until the fifth inning when the Quakers benefited from a pair of MU errors and four base hits to take a 4-1 lead. Brooks Bray and Hayes led off with back-to-back singles giving GC a pair of base runners with nobody out. A sacrifice bunt moved each runner and Howard reached base via an MU error, allowing Bray to score and tie the game at 1-1. Wilcox then singled up the middle to plate Hayes for a 2-1 lead. Taylor Boyd followed with a single to left that eluded the Methodist fielder and allowed Wilcox and Howard to come around to score and make it 4-1.
 
The Monarchs put base runners on in each of the final two innings, but any hopes of a rally were snuffed out by inning-ending double plays each time.
 
Rebekah Langston (1-0) earned the win for Guilford, allowing a single unearned run on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Brittany Miller was tagged with the loss for the Monarchs. She gave up four runs (2 ER) on eight hits and two walks with a strikeout in 7.0 innings.
 
At the plate, Miller was 2-for-3 with a double to lead the Monarchs. Oldham was 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Griffin was 1-for-2 with a walk.
 
For Guilford, Hayes was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Boyd had two hits in four at-bats, and Wilcox was 1-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI.
 
The Monarchs get back to action on Saturday when they host Greensboro for a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm.