LVC 6, Hood 5

LVC Starters
Edwards (DH), Puglisi (CF), DeClerico (2B), Kiessling (LF), Marcelli (1B), Albright (C), Weik (3B), Bertsch (SS), Herring (RF), Wall (SP)

Hood Starters
Esposito (DH), Warrenfeltz (3B), Greenberg (LF), Gall (C), Johnson (1B), Patterson (SS), Kessler (2B), Friend (RF), Beck (CF), Franke (SP)

How It Happened
FREDERICK, Md. – Lebanon Valley scored two runs in the top of the ninth to upend and eventually edge out Hood by a 6-5 score on Friday afternoon in the Dutchmen's MAC Commonwealth opener. LVC improved to 7-4, 1-0 MAC Commonwealth, while the Blazers slipped to 4-7, 0-2 MAC Commonwealth.

Trailing 5-4 heading into the top of the ninth, the Dutchmen's Chase Weik drew a walk with one out. After Bryan Towers pinch ran for Weik, Michael Leri drew a pinch-hit walk to advance Towers to second. After a Hood pitching change, Nick O'Shea stepped up and hit an RBI-single to left field that plated Towers to tie the contest at 5-5.

Later in the inning, with two outs and pinch-runner Marc Seibert on third, Michael Puglisi gave LVC the lead when he singled on a chopper up the middle that scored Seibert. In the bottom of the ninth, Philip Berry surrendered a walk, but didn't allow a run to cross the plate and the Dutchmen held on for the narrow 6-5 come-from-behind victory.

The Blazers jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the bottom of the first for the 2-0 advantage. The Dutchmen got one back in the third when Puglisi registered an RBI-groundout to score Joshua Herring, and in the fourth, LVC took the lead at 3-2 when Zac Edwards reached on an error to plate Trevor Bertsch and Colin Albright. After Joshua Marcelli singled home Marshall Kiessling to make it 4-2 in the top of the fifth, Hood came to within one in the bottom of the frame with a sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Blazers tied it at 4-4 when Baldwin singled and Patterson scored on an error, and Hood later took the lead in the eighth at 5-4 off a two-out RBI-single from Drake Friend, but the Dutchmen's comeback eventually doomed the Blazers.

Inside the Numbers
 - Edwards, Kiessling, and Marcelli finished with three hits apiece.
 - Puglisi recorded two RBI, including the big one in the top of the ninth.
 - Casey Wall got the start on the mound for LVC and pitched well, but earned the no-decision. He went seven innings and surrendered just seven hits and three earned runs while striking out three.
 - Dylan Stephen gave up two unearned runs in the eighth, however he earned the first victory of his career, while Berry came in for the save for the Dutchmen.
 - LVC outhit the Blazers 12-10 as a team.

Who's Next?
Conference action continues when Hood travels up to Annville for a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 12 p.m.