FREDERICK, Md. - The Messiah baseball team scored 11 runs in the final three innings to handle the Hood Blazers on Friday night by a 15-3 final score. The Falcons took a 4-1 lead after three innings of the play before opening up the flood gates in the late innings en route to their seventh-straight victory.
 
As a team, Messiah picked up 13 hits with Luke Ott and Evan Wagaman launching home runs. On the mound, Jason Long turned in another strong outing, tossing seven inning, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eight Blazers.
 
The Falcons and Blazers will wrap-up their doubleheader on Saturday afternoon when the Falcons host a doubleheader beginning at noon tomorrow.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons were first on the board, scoring in the top of the second on a Luke Ott solo home run with two outs. The Blazers got the run right back in the bottom half of the frame, plating a run on a two-out double and tying the game at 1-1 heading to the third.
 
Messiah scored three runs in the third on a Drew Hurst RBI double, a run-scoring groundout by Evan Wagaman, and an error by the third baseman. After the inning, Messiah led 4-1.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Hood closed the gap to 4-2 with a pinch-hit single by Jack Patterson. Jason Long was able to induce a double-play ball to end the frame and keep it a two-run Messiah lead at 4-2.
 
Messiah swiftly responded with a run in the top of the seventh on an RBI double from Dustin Isanogle, plating Evan Wagaman, who singled moments earlier. The run pushed the Falcons' lead back to three at 5-2 as the game turned to the eighth.
 
The Falcons busted things open in the top of the eighth, with the first six batters of the inning all coming around to score before an out was recorded. David Martinex started things off with a single before Nick Moyer drew one of his four walks in the game to put runners on first and second. After an error loaded the bases, Drew Hurst walked to bring home the first run of the frame. Joshua Ammons then welcomed relief pitcher, Finn Scott-Daniels with a bases-clearing double to extend Messiah's lead to 9-2. After a wild pitch and a passed ball allowed Ammons to score, Evan Wagaman hammered his team-leading sixth home run of the season to put the Falcons up 11-2.
 
Hood would score once in the bottom of the eight, but in the top of the ninth, the Falcons went right back to work, adding four runs. Kyler Parks and Carter Reid delivered the big blows in the inning with an RBI single for Parks and a two-run base-knock for Reid.
 
After a three-up, three-down inning in the bottom of the ninth, the Falcons earned the 15-3 victory to begin their series with the Blazers.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah and Hood will conclude their series on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader in Grantham scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. start.