FREDERICK, Md. - A two-run single by
Jack Patterson (Boyds, Md./Northwest) with the bases loaded, a full count and two outs in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Hood College baseball team to a 5-4 victory over the Messiah Falcons.
At the Plate
- Matthew Stout (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) led Hood, going 3-for-4 and scoring once.
- Richard Kershow (Eatons Neck, N.Y./Northport) hit is first career home run.
- Jacob Saylor (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville) ended the game with an RBI.
On the Mound
- Aaron Heller (Philadelphia, Pa./Jack Barrack Hebrew Acad.) started the game for the Blazers and threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and struck out three. The first-year student retired the first 11 Messiah batters before giving up a hit.
- Scott Ash (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) and Declan Sullivan (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's) split the eighth inning, combining to give up four runs on four hits.
- Kevin Nelson, Jr. (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock Twp.) tossed a scoreless ninth inning to receive the win for the Blazers.
How it Happened
- Hood was down 4-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Stout singled up the middle and with two outs in the inning Kershow drew a walk. Tyler Schwarzman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) singled up the middle to load the bases for the Blazers. Saylor walked against the Falcons' new pitcher Noah Barrall to let Stout come home and pull Hood within a run. Patterson worked the count full and sent a fastball back up the middle to knock in pinch runner Andrew Perkins (Fresno, Calif./Clovis North) and Schwarzman for the walk off win.
- Messiah had taken its first lead of the game in the top of the ninth inning. Joshua Ammons singled through the left side of the infield to start the inning and scored on a Isaiah Zercher triple of the fence in right field. Ryan Friend lined out to right field to knock in Zercher to give the Falcons a 4-2 heading into the home half of the ninth.
- Messiah tied the game up in the eighth inning after trailing 2-0 most of the game. Jarrett Gordon reached on a Cristian Reyna (Fredericksburg, Va./Stafford) fielding error at shortstop, Thomas Zeigler walked and David Martinez singled into left field to load the bases. Isaiah Parido knocked in Gordon and Zeigler with a single into right field.
- The Blazers took the lead early when Sommer doubled into the left field gap and later scored on a throwing error by Gordon trying to throw out Stout on an infield single.
- Kershow hit a leadoff, solo homer over the right field fence to double Hood's lead to 2-0 in the second inning.
For the Opponent
- Ammons led the Falcons going 3-for-4 with a run scored.
- Zercher recorded two hits with a triple and an RBI.
- Parido ended the afternoon with two RBIs.
- Christian Woodie threw 8.2 innings for the Falcons, giving up five runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks to take the loss.
- Barrall gave up the game winning hit in relief for Messiah.
Notes
- Hood improves to 18-18 (11-11) on the year.
- Messiah dipped to 17-19-1 (12-10).
Up Next
The Blazers are back in action on Thursday, Apr. 27 as they continue their three game series with Messiah on the road at 1 p.m.
