York, PA - The Messiah baseball team had to battle their way through the loser's bracket on Saturday after a First Round loss on Thursday night. Messiah picked up a pair of thrilling victories. The first came over Alvernia by a 4-1 score, Steven Ridings threw a complete-game gem with 14 strikeouts to lead the Falcons to the win. With the win over Alvernia, Messiah advanced to play Stevenson with a chance to move into the 2016 MAC Commonwealth Championship game in the nightcap. In Game Two, Zach Luman traded zeros with Stevenson starter, James Wiercinski for the first five innings before Messiah eventually came out with the 3-1 victory in another pitcher's dual.
 
Game Two - Messiah 3, Stevenson 1
As mentioned Zach Luman threw a quality outing for the Falcons in Game Two. While he allowed eight hits over his seven innings of work, only one run scored on his watch. In the sixth the Mustangs scored a single run, but Luman put Messiah in a position to score late runs and pull out the victory.
 
Messiah did just that, the Falcons scored three runs over the seventh and eighth to pull out the 3-1 victory. Messiah loaded the bases in the seventh with one out thanks to a single by Adam Janney and a pair of walks to Colin Fry and Josh Good. After a strikeout, Sam Stewart delivered the big hit with a full count. Stewart hit a soft line drive to center that scored two runs to get Messiah on the board and give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.
 
Messiah added another run in the eighth on an RBI single by Ben Sollenberger to give some insurance in the ninth. It looked like the Falcons were going to need that insurance as the Mustangs made it interesting in the ninth. Stevenson loaded the bases with two outs against reliever Drew Betz. Messiah head coach Pat Lightle gave the ball to Game One starter, Steven Ridings, with the sacks full. Ridings fell behind 2-0 to the Mustangs' leading hitter, Craig Joseph. He battled back to get a lazy fly ball to right field that ended the game and gave Messiah the 3-1 victory.
 
As mentioned the win puts Messiah in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game against First Round foe, Widener. Messiah will need to beat the Pride in consecutive games to earn their sixth conference title. Game One on Sunday begins at noon with an if necessary Game Two to follow should the Falcons win the first.

Game One - Messiah 4, Alvernia 1
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year Steven Ridings lived up to the honor with a complete-game, 14-strikeout gem in a 4-1 win over Alvernia University this afternoon. Ridings threw 130 pitches and allowed just three hits and two walks, and the lone run scored against him was unearned. The Falcons' runs all came off the bat of Colin Fry who hit both an RBI triple and a three-run home run in a 2-4 showing at the plate.
 
The win for Messiah eliminated No. 1-seeded Alvernia from the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. Messiah, seeded No. 3, will next play tonight at 7:00 p.m. against No. 4 Stevenson.
 
Messiah went up 1-0 in the fourth inning when Joseph Saufley laced a leadoff single and was chased home on Fry's long triple to the wall. He was stranded at third base at the end of the frame, but in the fourth inning a second drive by Fry went over the wall for a home run. Ben Sollenberger and Adam Janney, both of whom had singled to get on base, came around on the long ball.
 
The Crusaders earned one run back in the bottom of the seventh, even as Ridings struck out the side. The run was unearned due to two passed balls and a wild pitch, all of which allowed a runner from first to get all the way around.
 
Ridings' 14 strikeouts was a career-high.
 
Messiah threated to dent the scoreboard in the first with a pair of singles to lead off the game. Both Sollenberger and Janney singled through the left side to begin the inning. The Falcons followed the singles with a pop up, a pick off, and a fly out to end the inning without out any damage.
 
The Falcons and Crusaders struggled to get base runners over the next few innings. The only base runner for either team in the second or third came on a two-out single in the second off the bat of Sam Stewart.
 
As mentioned the Falcons connected for a run in the fourth. Joseph Saufley singled through the right side to lead off the inning before Colin Fry delivered a triple to drive home Saufley. Messiah could not push another run across as Fry was cut down at the plate later in the frame.
 
Now with a one run lead, Ridings turned away the Crusaders in order in the fourth. The inning took only nine pitches and Ridings got the last two outs on strikeouts, one swinging and the final out looking.
 
In the fifth, Messiah went right back to work. With one out, the top of the order again delivered for the Falcons. Sollenberger and Janey singled to put runners on first and second for Colin Fry. On a 2-0 count Fry knocked his second homer in as many days over the wall to give Messiah a 4-0 lead.
The 4-0 lead was all the support that Ridings needed. The righty worked around a single in the fifth before pitching a perfect sixth. Ridings got into trouble in the seventh. After consecutive strikeouts to start the inning, the Crusaders collected a single down the right field line. The runner worked his way around the pads with the help of a pair of wild pitches and a passed ball.
 
Alvernia earned lead-off walks in both the eighth and ninth innings, but could not bring them home and Messiah came away with the 4-1 victory.

In the win, Steven Ridings threw one of the best games of his career. He went the distance allowing just three hits (all singles) and striking out a career-high fourteen batters.
 
As mentioned, Messiah will turn around and play another game this evening at 7:00 p.m. against Stevenson.