HANOVER, Md. – The Hood College baseball team would have to use consecutive crooked numbers to combat both of Notre Dame of Maryland's seven-run innings to escape the swamp 18-17 on Tuesday afternoon on the road.
On the Mound
Tim Rio (Manassas, Va./Unity Reed) pitched five quality innings allowing just two runs on three hits.
Harrison Ludington (Woodbridge, Va/Forest Park) earned the win by holding off the Gators in 1.1 innings of work and three strikeouts.
In the Batter's Box
Ty Broughton (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) broke out with a 3-for-4 day with four runs scored and drove three runs.
Deshawn Branch (Davidsonville, Md./South River) racked up three hits for his first multi-hit collegiate day.
AJ Haines (Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell) drew three walks and scored four times himself.
How it Happened
Hood opened the game with disciplined at bats.
Ty Broughton (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) worked a two-out walk, then
Rhett Robbins (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) ripped a double to right center, allowing Broughton to score on a throwing error for a 1–0 Hood lead. But the bottom half unraveled quickly. Notre Dame sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs, putting Hood in an early 7–1 hole.
After a quiet second inning, Hood rallied in the third with
Easton Kite (Catharpin, Va./Battlefield) getting hit by a pitch, then Haines delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 7–2. Broughton followed with another RBI single before
Cole Sims (Elkton, Md./Saint Mark's) added a run-scoring hit of his own. Hood plated three runs and trimmed the deficit to 7–4.
By the fourth, the Blazers would take down the deficit with Branch making it around the bases via NDMU mistakes before a bunt from
Amrit Brown (Asheville, N.C./Asheville) would put two runners in scoring position for Broughton. The senior came through again — a two-RBI single to tie the game 7–7.
Hood would momentarily reclaim the lead in the seventh with three runs across, however the bottom of the inning turned disastrous with another seven-spot for Notre Dame and now Hood suddenly trailed 14–10.
A party of the basepaths would yield another three-run inning for the Blue & Grey in the eighth inning, this is where a timely and effective by Ludington held on to the one-run deficit.
In the ninth, Haines walked and worked his way around the bases before briskly walking home thanks to an Brown triple to tie the game 14–14. The bases would end up being loaded and
Jonathan Tyndall (Felton, Del./Lake Forest) was hit by a pitch, forcing in the go-ahead run. The real dagger would come from
Colin Moeller (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) — a two-run single to right to push the lead to 17–14 and the inning would eventually finish with a 18-14 lead.
As we learned prior, no lead is safe as a Notre Dame pinch-hit home run cut the margin to 18–15 to start the inning. Later with two men on base and the tying run at the plate, Haines — who had moved back to the mound — induced a groundout to third, sealing the 18–17 Hood victory.
Up Next
The squad will host another conference weekend matchup with Eastern on the docket for Friday, March 20 with first pitch set for 3:30 p.m. at Frederick Community College.
