GRANTHAM, Pa. - After falling 2-0 in a pitchers' duel in the opener, the Hood College softball team's offense came to life in game to pick up an 8-4 win over Messiah in the nightcap.
Inside the Circle
- Rebecca Gottleib (Linthicum, MD/North County) allowed just two runs, one earned, but took a complete game loss in the opener. She scattered five hits and two walks, striking out three. The first-year student has 118 strikeouts pulled within one of the Blazers' single-season strikeout record.
- Jordan Long (Middletown, MD/Middletown) recorded her third win of the year in game two. She pitched a complete game and was charged with four runs on 12 hits and a walk. She struck out four.
At the Plate
- Sammy McIntosh (Frederick, MD/Gov. Thomas Johnson) and Jocelyn Pfleiger (Quakertown, PA/Dock Mennonite Academy) were the only hitters for Hood to record hits in both contests and both players had multi-hit efforts in the second game. McIntosh finished the day 3-for-8 with two doubles and two runs scored. Pfleiger went 3-for-7 over the course of the doubleheader with two runs scored and two RBIs.
- Rachel Benden (Gaithersburg, MD/Damascus) went 2-for-4 in the second game and drove in three.
- Alyssa Walters (New Oxford, PA/New Oxford) singled and walked three times.
Messiah 2, Hood 0
- McKenzie Shannon hit a solo home run in the first inning and Elianna Litwin scored on an error in the second inning for what proved to be the game's only runs.
- After allowing the second run, Gottleib retired six straight and faced just four batters over the minimum the rest of the way.
- The Blazers' best chances came in the third and fourth innings. In the third, McIntosh doubled with two outs and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Madison Walter escaped the inning. Hood loaded the bases with one out in the fourth when Pfleiger and Gottleib singled and Walters drew her second walk of the game. Mallorie Hetzel (Pasadena, MD/Northeast) hit into a fielder's choice and the Falcons retired Pfleiger at home before Colleen Blasko (Bowie, MD/St. Vincent Pallotti) grounded out to end the threat.
Hood 8, Messiah 4
- The Blazers scored twice in the first to take an early lead. McIntosh led off the game with a double to left and later scored on an error. Pfleiger reached on the miscue and a base hit by Benden and a base on balls by Walters loaded the bases with two outs. The game was halted for a lengthy period of time during Hetzel's first plate appearance with a 3-2 count, but the sophomore drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in a run coming out of the stoppage for a 2-0 lead.
- Messiah cut its deficit in half in the bottom of the inning when Alexa Burger doubled and came home on a squeeze bunt by Hannah Dyer.
- Hood struck again in the second with four more runs to take a 6-1 advantage. Brandi Davidson (Northampton, PA/Northampton) reached on an error and back-to-back singles by McIntosh and Cailyn Barthlow (Libertytown, MD/Linganore) loaded the bases for Pfleiger with no outs. The first-year student singled to center, driving in the two lead runners. Benden drove in a run with a groundout and Walters added an RBI single for the Blazers' fourth run of the inning.
- Dyer had an RBI double and scored on base hit by Olivia Denmark in the bottom of the third as the Falcons pulled within 6-3.
- Benden put the game out of reach with a two-run triple in the sixth, knocking in Pfleiger and Gottleib to make it 8-3.
- Messiah scored once in the bottom of the seventh and had runners on second and third when Long got Maggie Chinnadurai to pop up to end the game.
For the Falcons
- Walter pitched a three-hit shutout in the opener for Messiah, walking two and striking out six.
- Shannon homered in game one and came off the bench for a base hit in game two.
- Jaden Keister had three hits in the nightcap and was 4-for-6 in the doubleheader.
- Dyer doubled in each game.
- Lydia Collison took the loss in game two. She allowed six runs in two innings on six hits and two walks. Chinnadurai gave up two runs in the final five innings in relief.
Notes
- Hood improved to 17-20-1 overall and 7-9 in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth.
- Messiah finished the day 22-12 and 10-4.
Up Next
The Blazers close out the regular season at Catholic on Sunday, May 1.
