CHESTER, Pa. – The baseball squad provided a 2-0 lead early, but the Pride battled back in the middle innings just for the Blazers' rally to fall short in the final inning to fall 4-3 over Widener in game one of the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Semifinals on Friday afternoon.
On the Mound
Finn Scott-Daniels (Annandale, Va./Annandale) pitched five innings of three-run baseball off of four hits while sitting down five batters. Scott-Daniels started with three hitless innings in what would be all-in-all one of the best outings of his career.
Mason Potter (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) allowed three hits and one run in three innings of relief.
Inside the Batter's Box
Rhett Robbins (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) totaled three RBIs and sported a homer in the ball game.
Kamari Chisolm (Gainesville, Va./Bishop O'Connell) reached based via walk and a base hit.
How it Happened
It looked to be an arm's race between the Friday starters of Hood's Scott Daniel's and Widener's Trae Sanders as both teams went hitless through the first two innings thanks to patience of these pitcher's arsenals.
Ty Broughton (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) worked the Blazers first base runner in the third via walk and after two straight outs he was in peril of being stranded. However, Robbins hit a no-doubter to right center for the Blazer's first hit and a 2-0 lead with the home run.
The Pride looked to respond in the bottom half of the fourth with a leadoff single through the left side. Scott-Daniels fought the next batter and delivered swing-and-miss for strike three and was rewarded with a double play via batter's interference to clear the bases with two outs. Not so fast for the Blazers, a crisp ball hit to the warning track by Kevin Bukowski put him on third base and ready to score. Luckily the pitcher from Annandale, Virginia got another Widener batter to chase to retire the side.
Sean Seely (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) lofted a single to the outfield with one out in the sixth and with two outs another hero would step in as
AJ Haines (Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell) would send a liner off the left field fence, but the plot would be stopped short with a relay from the outfield cutting Seely down at the plate to end the inning with the 2-0 score.
That fortune from the fourth inning would be returned in the sixth as a no-out bunt with a runner on first would bounce off of home plate and that would be its final resting place as Sean Burke would be safe at first. A hard hit ball to Hood's second baseman on the next play would score Widener's first run and end Scott-Daniels day on the mound.
A sacrifice fly from Bukowski would tie the game up at two all and a gapper would give the Pride the lead all in just one inning. Widener would tack on another via a double and a obstruction call on the basepaths in the seventh.
It wouldn't be Blazer baseball without a little action in the final innings, Chisolm would work a walk to lead off the ninth and a pinch-hitting
Ryland Weaver (Salisbury, Md./Homeschool) would do the same to put two aboard.
Ty Broughton (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) presented a bunt to put Blazers in scoring position and the squad got another pinch-hit walk by
Cole Sims (Elkton, Md./Saint Mark's). Robbins had to wear a pitch off the helmet in order for a Hood run to cross, but he did so making it a one-run game. The walk-fueled inning would be put out by a flyout and the first game went to hosts.
Analysis
The Blazers were issued four total walks and benefited from two errors in the game.
Widener had three extra base hits to Hood's one.
Both squads left a total of seven runners on base.
For the Opponent
The Pride relief staff threw three innings of one-hit ball while the started Sanders allowed two runs while striking out six.
Ryan Bauerle had three hits on the afternoon.
Up Next
The squad will continue the fight in the best-of-three series against No. 2-seeded Widener starting game two set for Saturday at noon and the if necessary game to follow.
