GRANTHAM, Pa. – The baseball team scored in back-to-back innings late, but an early offensive surge by Messiah proved too much as the Blazers fell 13–3 in Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth action Sunday afternoon.
On the Mound
Declan Musselman (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) made the start for Hood, working 2.1 innings with one strikeout.
Austin Ferreira (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) provided a bright spot out of the bullpen, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
At the Plate
Jason Rivera (Smithsburg, Md./Saint Maria Goretti) paced the Blazers offensively, finishing 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two RBIs.
Ty Broughton (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and scored once.
Rhett Robbins (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) reached base three times via walk and crossed the plate in the seventh.
How It Happened
Hood worked patiently at the plate early, drawing walks in three of the first five innings, but struggled to convert opportunities into runs. The Blazers were held hitless through four frames while Messiah built a steady lead by scoring in each of the first six innings.
The Blazers got on the board in the sixth inning when Rivera belted a two-run homer to right field, bringing home Broughton after a leadoff walk.
Hood added another run in the seventh inning. Robbins reached base for the third time on a walk and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Broughton to right field.
Despite the late push, Messiah answered with big innings, including a four-run sixth that put the game out of reach.
Notes
Hood falls to 10-14, 5-4 in conference play.
Messiah improves to 12-8, 8-1 in MAC Commonwealth
Up Next
Hood continues conference play with a three-game series with Alvernia with game one right back here in Frederick at FCC on Friday, April 3 with first pitch set for 3:30 p.m.. The series will continue the next day Saturday, April 4 at the Golden Wolves with that doubleheader to start at noon.
