EAST WHITELAND TOWNSHIP, Pa. – After nearly letting the game slip away, the Hood College baseball team regained its composure to defeat the Mighty Macs of Immaculata 11-8 in a barnburner of a non-conference matchup.
At the Plate
Stephen Sommer (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun) hit 3-5 on the day, adding an RBI as well.
Alex Jenkins (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) went 2-5 at the dish, driving in three runs.
On the Mound
Frank Spaide (Bensalem, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic) got the start, allowing no runs and just four hits through four innings, walking one and striking out two.
Mason Sawyers (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County) got the save for the Blazers, allowing two runs off three hits and striking out one batter.
How it Happened
Hood got on the board first in the second inning, as a deep
Jacob Saylor (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville) double allowed Jenkins to score from first base, before an
Austin Rhue (Milton, Del./Cape Henlopen) hit scored Saylor.
A poor throw to first from Immaculata allowed Sommer to advance to second on an infield ball before
Cameron Day (Hagerstown, Md./Clear Spring) drove him in with a single. Day then scored himself later in the inning to give the Blazers a 4-0 lead after three innings.
Both teams managed to get runs on the board in the fifth, as the Blazers managed to score two with a bases-loaded single, and the Mighty Macs got on the board in the bottom of the frame to make it a 6-1 game after five.
Although Hood sent two more runners around the diamond in the top half of the frame, the Immaculata offense exploded in the bottom of the inning, putting five runs across the plate to suddenly make it an 8-6 ballgame.
After neither team somehow scored in the seventh inning, the eighth provided more action, as the Blazers once again loaded the bases, and were first gifted a run after
Sebastian Paz (Miami, Fla./Immaculata-La Salle) wore a pitch to score one before another hit from Jenkins allowed two more runners to score. The Mighty Macs would not go out easily though, as a leadoff hit-by-pitch was followed by a triple to score one before the runner on third was sent home as the Blazers held onto an 11-8 lead going into the ninth.
With
Tyler Schwarzman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) getting picked off at first base to bring up the bottom of the ninth, Hood needed closer Sawyers to shut the door. He delivered, causing the first two batters to pop out before striking out one more to finalize their 11-8 win.
For the Opponent
Joey Wright went 2-3 with a triple, two walks, and an RBI.
Josh Crowding finished the afternoon batting 3-4 with three RBIs.
Up Next
The Blazers return home for a conference matchup against Stevenson Friday, March 15 at 3:30 p.m.
