CHESTER, Pa. – In a win-or-go home scenario, the baseball squad pulled off a ninth inning comeback to force a game three with a 3-2 win over Widener before getting shutout by the Pride with a frenzy of run support in the final game of the MAC Commonwealth to end their season on Saturday afternoon.
On the Mound
Skylar Albright (Hendersonville, N.C./Hendersonville) got the start in game one and went four innings, only allowing two hits and striking out four in a shutout effort.
Mason Sawyers (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County) went four innings and picked up the win as he sat down five and allowed just two earned runs.
Tim Rio (Manassas, Va./Unity Reed) got the start in game two and allowed three runs on three hits in his short outing.
Inside the Batter's Box
Landon Vile (Luray, Va./Luray) shot a single down the line to score two of the Hood runs in heroic fashion in game one and then added two more hits to his day in game two.
AJ Haines (Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell) collected a pair of hits and swiped a pair of bases.
Jason Rivera (Smithsburg, Md./Saint Maria Goretti) collected three hits in the second half of the day.
How it Happened – Hood 3, Widener 2
The squads went back to the armory and brought another pair of arms to set the tone, both teams were kept off the scoreboard in the first five innings with very little traffic on the basepaths.
Hood starter
Skylar Albright (Hendersonville, N.C./Hendersonville) ran into slight trouble in the first inning but induced an inning-killing double play to keep Widener scoreless. Hood generated a few scoring chances in the early innings but couldn't cash in, stranding runners as Widener starter Hayden O'Neill matched Albright inning for inning.
Hood finally broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth. After reaching base, Hood manufactured a run when
AJ Haines (Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell) delivered an RBI single, scoring
Aedan Messier (Exeter, N.H./Exeter) to put the Blazers in front, 1–0.
Widener responded in the bottom of the seventh, pushing across the tying run to make it 1–1. An inning later, Widener capitalized again, using a double and a wild pitch to take a 2–1 lead heading into the ninth.
The Blazers worked more late inning magic with a decisive rally in the top of the ninth as
Sean Seely (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) sparked the inning with a single.
Ryland Weaver (Salisbury, Md./Homeschool) followed with a walk and another day of
Ty Broughton (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) moving the runners into scoring position with a bunt well done.
Landon Vile (Luray, Va./Luray) came through with the biggest swing of the day — a two-RBI single that scored Seely and
Harrison Ludington (Woodbridge, Va/Forest Park), flipping the game in Hood's favor, 3–2.
In the bottom of the ninth Hood handed the ball to
Liam Moriarty (Aldie, Va./Lightridge), who shut the door with a 1-2-3 inning to force the if necessary game.
How it Happened – Widener 19, Hood 0
The Blazers had multiple baserunners in each of the second and third innings, including a bases-loaded chance in the third, but Widener pitching escaped each threat without allowing a run.
Widener seized momentum in the bottom of the first with a three-run home run, then added three more runs in the second to build an early 6–0 lead. Hood continued to battle offensively, stringing together hits, but could not find the clutch swing to get on the scoreboard.
The game swung further in Widener's favor during the fourth inning, when the Pride capitalized on multiple baserunners and miscues to score five runs. Additional runs followed in the fifth and sixth innings as Widener steadily extended its lead.
Hood placed runners in scoring position several times, including the seventh and eighth innings, but timely outs and double plays prevented any runs from crossing the plate.
Notes
Their game two win was their first playoff victory since the 2021 season where the Blazers took down #1 York 14-11.
The team improved by five total wins from the past season and won series against Stevenson, Alvernia and York Pa. and earned the No. 3 seed in the MAC Commonwealth playoffs.
Up Next
Hood finishes their season at 17-25, 10-11 in conference play.
