MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Arcadia University baseball team improved to 2-0 for the season as it opened Commonwealth Conference play with an 11-2 win over Hood College Friday at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach. The Blazers fell to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
 
The Knights scored twice in the bottom of the first as sophomore Jordan Draude scored on an error before classmate Justin Chasmar drove in senior Justin Simpson with a single to center. Draude then drove in junior Michael Nessel with an infield single up the first base line for what proved to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the third, and senior Andonis Yiantsos crossed the plate from third in Simpson's ground out to short to extend Arcadia lead to 4-0 after three inning.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, each of the Knights first three batters got on base to start the inning as Arcadia doubled its lead to 8-0 before scoring two more times in the sixth to open a 10-0 advantage.
 
Hood finally got on the board in the top of the eighth. Freshman John Cartegena scored on classmate Paul Quattrone's single to center field to snap the Knights shutout bid, and fellow freshman Brooks Warrenfeltz later scored from third on a wild pitch with the Blazers' second run.
 
Nessel earned the decision on the hill after tossing seven scoreless innings with five Ks in his first appearance of the season, and helped his own cause by going 3 for 5 at the dish and scoring two runs. Chasmar went 3 for 5 with a double and three RBI, while Simpson scored two runs while driving in two others without the benefit of a hit.
 
Cameron Fitzgerald took the loss on the mound for Hood after allowing eight runs over four-plus innings, dropping his record to 0-1 in his second appearance of the year. Freshman Dylan Johnson was 2 for 3 at the plate, accounting for two of the Blazers' six total hits.
 
These two teams will meet again Saturday at the Ripken Experience for a conference doubleheader that gets underway at noon.