CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Hood College baseball took command of Wilson College "a la carte" style as the Blazers used all hands-on deck to extinguish the Phoenix with a five-man bullpen game that allowed just four hits while the Blazers racked up seven extra-base hits rolling to a 14–1 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Henninger Field.
On the Mound
Mason Salisbury (Colora, Md./Perryville) got the start and struck out two in his submarine debut.
Jim Ledford (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) took the next two innings allowing one run on two hits.
Tyler Knill (Frederick/Frederick) tossed two scoreless innings earning the win.
Inside the Batter's Box
Deshawn Branch (Davidsonville, Md./South River) scores four times and rips a triple to boast a day mainly spent cruising around the bases.
Landon Vile (Luray, Va./Luray),
Harrison Ludington (Woodbridge, Va/Forest Park) and
Blaine Smith (Hume, Va./Fauquier) all go yard during the contest.
How it Happened
Starter
Mason Salisbury (Colora, Md./Perryville) worked around a walk in the bottom half of the first and even when the runner reached third, he got the final batters to retire to keep the game scoreless.
The Blazers struck first in the following inning with
Deshawn Branch (Davidsonville, Md./South River) drawing a leadoff walk and stealing second before
Alex Miller (Fisher, W.V./Moorefield) reached on a throwing error that allowed Branch to score, giving Hood a 1–0 lead. Wilson answered in the bottom of the inning with a run following two walks, a wild pitch and an RBI single, tying the game at 1–1.
The script was written in the third inning as
Landon Vile (Luray, Va./Luray) opened the frame with a single, and
Harrison Ludington (Woodbridge, Va/Forest Park) followed by launching a two-run home run to left to put Hood back in front. The Blazers loaded the bases and capitalized on the miscues as Branch delivered a two-RBI triple to right-center. Patient at-bats and a couple runs led to Vile capping the inning off with a three-run home run, as Hood sent 12 batters to the plate and surged ahead 10–1.
The fourth brought the Branch-Miller combination again as Branch walked and came around to score this time via an RBI single off the bat of Miller, extending the lead to 11–1. From there, the Blazers' pitching staff took control.
Knill took over on the mound in the fourth and worked two scoreless innings, allowing just two hits to earn his second collegiate win.
In the sixth, Hood added another run. Branch walked for the third time, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error.
Easton Kite (Catharpin, Va./Battlefield), pinch-hitting, lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 12–1.
The Blazers put the finishing touches on the afternoon in the seventh with pinch-hitting as
Cole Sims (Elkton, Md./Saint Mark's) ripped a double down the left-field line, and Smith followed by crushing a two-run homer to left, pushing the advantage to 14–1.
Hood closed out the game with
Austin Ferreira (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) and Ludington combining to retire the final hitters, sealing the win.
Up Next
The squad starts a decisive three-game series with MAC Commonwealth rival York College of Pennsylvania with game one set for 3:30 p.m. this Friday, April 10 at Frederick Community College.
