On April 8, the Quakers split a doubleheader with the Meredith College Avenging Angels to improve to 24-7-1 overall, with a 7-1 mark in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).Meredith took the first game 7-0, but Guilford came back in the second game behind a five-hit shutout thrown by sophomore Shelby “The Little Rocket” Bowser and got the win 2-0.

Meredith came out swinging in the first game and put up a two-spot in the top of the second and the top of the third on the Guilford starter, sophomore Jessica Burcham, who began the season with an 8-1 mark but has struggled of late, dropping three straight decisions.

Avenging Angels pitcher Amanda Beirne pitched five shutout innings and gave up only three hits and two walks. She gave the Quakers few chances to even the count and improved her record to 6-6 with the win.

“Our offense was not really with it (in the first game),” said sophomore catcher Morgan Andrews of the Quakers’ offensive efforts in the first game. “We were putting a lot in play – it was just up in the air or right to the player on the field.”

The Quaker batters were streaky in the three games, which all ended in losses, before their game two win against Meredith. Despite averaging nine hits and over four runs per game, the Quakers only totaled six hits and two runs in the game one loss to Ferrum College on April 3, and only seven hits in the shutout loss to Meredith.

“I wanted them to come back and give the team 100 percent effort (in game two),” said head coach Dennis Shores. “Good things would happen if they focused on what they had to do to get the job done.”

Almost immediately after the break between games, first-year Lauren Duncan hit a solo home run, her sixth of the season, to right field on the first pitch off Meredith pitcher Jessica Dzeskewicz in the bottom of the first.

With just that one run for support, Bowser took over and shut the Avenging Angels down, giving up only five hits and striking out two on the way to her first complete game shutout and an 8-1 record.

“I was just feeling good today,” said Bowser.

Guilford got another run in the bottom of the fifth when junior Julie Langseth doubled to left field, advanced to third on a single by sophomore Kimberly Keys, and scored on a ground out by Andrews.

Coming off the split, Guilford stood in second place behind Lynchburg College in the ODAC standings.

The Quakers swept Sweet Briar College in their doubleheader on April 10, 8-0 and 16-0. Guilford then dropped both games of their doubleheader with Randolph-Macon College on April 11, 3-4 and 7-8.

The Quakers out hit the Yellow Jackets 24-17, but Guilford left 18 runners stranded on base in the sweep.

Looking ahead to the games against Lynchburg, however, the Quakers seemed confident and ready to put it all on the line for the ODAC regular-season championship.

“I enjoy playing Lynchburg as they are a good team that also has a great coach, ” said Shores. “It should be a good match-up between two very competitive teams going into the ODAC tournament.”

This match-up of ODAC titans could determine who takes home the coveted regular-season ODAC crown.

“As long as we play to our potential, we’ll be all right,” said Bowser.