MECHANICSBURG, Pa. - Hood College used back-to-back home runs to pick up a 5-2 win over Widener in the opening round, before falling 8-3 to No. 11 Messiah on the first day of the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament.

The Blazers remain alive in the double-elimination bracket and will square off against the Pride at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 8.

Kayli Paugh (Elkridge, Md. / Howard) hit her school-record tying eighth home run of the season in the win over Widener and pitched a complete game for the win. She did not allow an earned run, striking out four and scattering five hits. Paugh's two-run shot tied the game and was the first half of back-to-back homers with Roo Saglimbeni (Woodbine, Md. / Glenelg). 

Against the nationally ranked Falcons, Ashley Fourcade (Rockville, Md. / Richard Montgomery) hit a three-run home run to become the first player in Hood history with over 100 career runs batted in. She went 4-for-7 with four RBIs in the two games. 

The win was the 20th of the season for Hood. 

HOOD 5, WIDENER 2

Back-to-back home runs by Paugh and Saglimbeni erased a 2-0 deficit to lead Hood to the win over the Pride in the first round.

Widener struck first when Ally Horvath doubled in a run in the third and later scored for a two-run lead. 

The Blazers answered immediately in the fourth. A two-out single by Shelby Alcorn (Hummelstown, Pa. / Lower Dauphin) kept the inning going. Paugh tied both the game and Mel Muscar's single season home run record with a two-run shot to left field, her eighth of the year. Saglimbeni followed with a solo homer over the fence in center for 3-2 edge. 

Paugh allowed just one more hit the rest of the game and the Blazers scored twice in the seventh to pull away. 

The Blazers' four through eight hitters went 8-for-19 in the game. Fourcade, Alcorn and Paugh had two hits apiece. 

Horvath was 3-for-3 with two doubles. Allie Akins and Heather Forward each doubled. 

Alexis Schengrund took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits over five innings. 

NO. 11 MESSIAH 8, HOOD 3

Fourcade hit a three-run homer, the 17th of her career, to put the Blazers ahead, but the Falcons came back to send Hood into an elimination game.

Fourcade was 2-for-3 and Kristy Erfurdt (Thurmont, Md. / Catoctin) added a 2-for-4 effort. 

The two teams were scoreless into the third inning. Kaylee Krietz (Thurmont, Md. / Catoctin) led off with a single, and a base hit by Erfurdt put two on with one out. Fourcade drove in both runners with a three-run homer to left center field.

Messiah tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the inning. Carrie Fix drove in a run, then scored on a two-run double by Courtney Allen that tied the game. Erin Cressman hit a solo homer in the fourth to give the Falcons the lead. After a three-run fifth, a single run in the sixth put the game out of reach. 

Becky Notte went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Allen and Brooke Pompeo had two hits apiece. 

Allen gave up three runs in six innings to pick up the win, striking out seven. 

Sophia Leaman (Mount Joy, Pa. / Donegal) took the complete game loss.