Glenside, PA — The Messiah College baseball team defeated Arcadia University by a 13-7 score Wednesday afternoon, proving the squad's stellar play is not regional in nature.
After rattling off eight straight wins in the state of Florida during the team's spring break, Messiah (13-6) kept its collective surge going Wednesday in its home state, pounding the Knights for 11 hits in yet another offensive explosion. The Falcons won their eight games in the Sunshine state by an average of 6.9 runs per, putting up a mean 10.4 runs per game during that stretch.
Wednesday seemed like much of the same, only a bit further north.
“This was a very good win for us,” said Bryan Engle, Messiah head coach. “Being on the road in our first game back from Florida, it was nice to get back and continue putting some good things together. We're happy with the result.”
Messiah's only true hiccup of the day occurred early, as Arcadia (4-11-1, 2-1) posted three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-1 lead. Two of the Knights' three runs came courtesy of a triple, while sophomore Jordan Zimmerman pushed the Falcons' lone run across with a single up the middle in the top half.
Engle's team then responded with two runs in the second inning, as a single from sophomore Jon-Mike Richards brought home both senior Craig Mease and senior Kyle Stuckey.
Senior Jeremy Stoltzfus (1-0) then absolutely asserted himself on the mound, retiring 14 of Arcadia's next 15 batters over the course of the middle four innings. If that weren't enough, Stoltzfus picked off the only Knights' batter to reach base during that stretch.
With the right-handed senior taking care of work on the mound, Messiah's bats slowly awoke to put things away in the sixth. Another single from Zimmerman brought two more runs home in that stanza, while singles from junior Jonny Ebersole and sophomore Sheldon Witmer highlighted a four-run seventh inning.
The Falcons then duplicated that output in the eighth inning, as a single from Ebersole and a double from Witmer each carded two more RBI. When the dust cleared, Messiah possessed a 13-3 lead.
It was like Florida all over again.
Engle then made defensive changes to go with a pitching switch in the bottom of the eighth inning, as senior Ben Jordan came on in relief without his best stuff. Jordan allowed three hits and gave up four runs in facing eight batters, leaving way for junior Kurt Heim, who came on in the ninth. Heim struck out one and grounded out two batters after hitting another to close out the game in a non-save situation.
Stoltzfus earned the pitching win, going seven full innings while allowing just four hits and two earned runs — both coming during Arcadia's first inning push. He struck out two batters and walked one.
“Jeremy did a great job after the first inning, and he really got into a groove,” Engle said. “He retired the leadoff batter in all seven of his innings pitched, and that is something we've been preaching to our (pitching) staff.”
Conversely, Messiah's lead off batters reached base in four of the five innings the Falcons scored, led by Zimmerman's 2-6, three RBI performance. Ebersole also batted three in behind a 2-2 performance, scoring three runs as well. Witmer finished 2-4 with three RBI and a double, while Richards finished 1-5 with a pair of RBI.
Nine of Messiah's 13 runs were scored by batters six through nine in the lineup, while the Falcons' first five runs of the game were plated with two outs retired in the respective innings.
“I thought we played pretty solidly defensively, but it took us awhile to get going offensively,” Engle said. “We didn't have the focus that I would have liked both at the beginning and especially late, but it is a learning experience. We're still growing.”
Messiah will open up MAC Commonwealth play next, with a single, nine-inning game scheduled at Albright College Friday at 3 p.m. The team is then slated to return the favor with a home double-header against the Lions Saturday. Game time for the first of two is set for 12 p.m.
“Now the really fun part of the year begins,” Engle said. “Our goal all season has been to win our next game, and this is where that thought process really has to pay off. Albright doesn't care that we've won nine straight, and we shouldn't either. It's a new season, and one that we're excited to get underway.”
