Box Score
Gettysburg, PA — A near two and a half hour delay didn't adversely affect the Messiah College softball team Tuesday afternoon, as the Falcons handed host Gettysburg College an 8-5 defeat in truncated circumstances.
Originally scheduled for a double-header, Messiah (11-11, 1-0) was supposed to face the Bullets at 3 p.m. Sopping wet field conditions delayed the start of play until nearly 5:30 p.m., however, with hopes of a double-dip long removed.
The waiting around didn't cause the Falcons' bats to go quiet, as for the second time in three games Messiah used an explosive inning to subdue its opponent, this time using a six-run sixth inning to turn a deficit into an eventual victory.
"It was an interesting day," said Amy Weaver, Messiah head coach. "When we got here, the field was in horrible shape due to all of the rain we had earlier in the day. (Gettysburg's) ground crew was doing all they could, but it didn't help immediately. The field was so wet, I wasn't sure if we'd get a game in at all.
"When we finally did play, our girls fought hard all the way through," she continued. "The team stayed focused when they easily could have lost focus and got upset, but they chose to concentrate on what was at hand and came out strong in the single game."
Freshman Jessica Climenhaga (4-3) played a big part in the Falcons' success, going the distance in the pitching circle while striking out eight Bullets' batters.
Messiah's pent-up energy was evident early, as the team scored two first-inning runs to claim an early lead. A single from sophomore Abby Bergakker drove in freshman Rebekkah Funk (who bunted on to start the game) and senior Lana Trotter, who reached via walk.
Climenhaga then retired Gettysburg's first three batters in the bottom of the stanza, and it appeared the wetness delay would not slow down the Falcons in any manner.
Gettysburg (10-7, 2-2) got acclimated in the second and third innings, however, registering three total runs off of three hits and a Messiah error, with just one score being earned. The Bullets then tacked on another in the bottom of the fourth inning, and Weaver's club trailed by a 4-2 count.
Things would all change in the top of the sixth, as Messiah blasted four hits to drive in six runs — the final two coming off a single from sophomore Lindsay Hall. A pair of singles and three walks plated the team's two runs of the inning, while a sacrifice fly from junior catcher Amy Bowie scored another. Bergakker followed with yet another RBI single, which was capped by Hall's blast through the right side.
The six runs was the most in a single-inning since the team used a five-run fifth to beat MAC Commonwealth foe Elizabethtown College by a 7-5 score Saturday, while the sixth inning is slowly becoming magical for Weaver's club: Messiah has scored 27 of its total 104 runs in the sixth inning of games to date (25.9 percent), while boasting a 9-1 record when leading after six.
With a newfound lead now in tact, Climenhaga handled things in the pitching circle, forcing a three-up, three-down bottom of the sixth before having only a slight snag in the home half of the seventh. Gettysburg followed a lead-off strikeout with a double to right center field, which was followed by another strikeout.
The Bullets' then registered an RBI single, but Climenhaga forced a groundout to the next batter faced, concluding the game.
Hall and Bergakker were the offensive leaders for Weaver's club, going 3-4 and 2-4, respectively. Bergakker drove in three runs while scoring one herself, while Hall plated two. Funk finished 2-5 with two runs scored, while sophomore Nicole Adams finished 2-4 with one batted in and one run scored.
Trotter, sophomore Tori Hatt and freshman Rebecca Stackhouse all provided a single, with Trotter scoring twice and driving in a run. All 12 of Messiah's hits on the day were singles, marking the most hits in any game this season — 12 — without an extra base knock.
"We came out with the bats early, but they matched us," Weaver said. "We never gave up. We had the bases loaded several times and finally capitalized."
Messiah will next return to MAC Commonwealth play, when the team will host Lycoming College in a double-header Saturday. Game time for the first of two is scheduled for 1 p.m.
