GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Hood College baseball team could not keep Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth opponent Messiah University at bay, as the Blazers were defeated 5-0 in game one of the day's doubleheader before losing an offensive game two 16-10, being swept in the full series by the Falcons.
At the Plate
Jacob Saylor (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville) went 2-3 with three RBIs and two runs in game two.
Keegan Brennan (Lake Wynonah, Pa./Nativity BVM) officially went 1-2 but drew two walks and scored twice in the second game.
On the Mound
Dutch DeProspero (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) picked up his first loss of the season in game one, allowing three earned runs while striking out five through 6.1 innings.
Messiah 5, Hood 0
This game was scoreless until the bottom of the third inning, when a routine bunt to squeeze a run home for Messiah ended up clearing the bases after a wild throw to first base got away from everybody to give the Falcons a 3-0 lead.
Messiah would add another run in the fifth and sixth innings, comfortably putting Hood away with a 5-0 final.
Messiah 16, Hood 10
The start of the final game in the series could not have been more different from the first, as Brennan touched home to break the ice in the first inning to give the Blazers the early lead before the Falcons answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
Hood tied the game at 3-3 in the second inning, but took the lead handily in the top of the third, scoring five runs overall, with four of them being walked in as the Messiah pitchers could not find the strike zone.
Unfortunately, their 8-3 advantage did not last past that inning, as the Falcons came back with six runs of their own to suddenly retake the lead.
While the Blazers were held scoreless from the fourth to the seventh innings, Messiah added five more run to their total during that time, and by the time Hood managed to push two runners around the diamond in the eighth, they were still in a 14-10 hole.
The Falcons made it 16-10 in the bottom of the eighth inning, and with the Blazers unable to tie the game up in the top of the ninth, the game ended with a series sweep for Messiah.
Notes
Hood drops to 13-12 (4-8) on the season, while Messiah improves to 20-6 (10-1).
Up Next
The Blazers head to Salisbury, Maryland for a quick non-conference game against Salisbury University Tuesday, April 9 at 3 p.m.
