Grantham, PA — Messiah dropped its sixth game in its last seven outings Tuesday afternoon, falling to Shenandoah University by an 11-5 score at Starry Field.
The Hornets — receiving votes in the latest NCBWA Top 25 Poll — blasted 13 hits in the win, again making a living off a Falcons' club ever so close to getting things done: Four of Shenandoah's first five runs came with two outs recorded.
“We've got to mature as baseball players mentally,” said Bryan Engle, Messiah head coach. “I think baseball is the sport that changes the least from tee ball to, say, the Major League All-Star game. It all comes down to pitching, hitting and fielding. Sure, the speed of the game changes as the levels increase, but the mistakes we're making aren't physical, they're mental. We've got to get better in that area.”
Messiah (7-13-1) had things going well early in Tuesday's single, nine-inning affair, taking one-run leads after the first and the third innings of play. A lead-off double from freshman Jon Brubaker was eventually driven home in the bottom of the first, and — after Shenandoah got on the board in the third — the Falcons responded in the bottom of the inning, using a pair of singles to make it a 2-1 Messiah lead.
It was at that point that Shenandoah (18-4) erupted.
The Hornets scored eight runs over the middle three innings of play — the first four of which came with two outs retired in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. Messiah freshman and starting pitcher Chance Sorensen (0-2) was pulled following five complete innings of work, while classmate Nate Roten lasted just three batters, allowing two walks and a single.
Junior Derek Sipe was then inserted into a bases-loaded, no-out scenario in the sixth, with the Hornets making the most of their opportunity — scoring four runs in the stanza off of two hits and a Messiah error.
It was at that moment that things got away from Engle's club, as a solo home run from junior Sheldon Witmer had pulled the Falcons to just a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the fifth. That opposite-field blast followed a moment of trepidation to close out the top half of the fifth inning, as junior Jordan Zimmerman made an incredible diving catch to rob Shenandoah's Jasen Eberz of what was initially ruled an inside the park home run.
Zimmerman dove head first into the outfield wall on the play, somehow holding onto the ball despite a horrific collision. After being tended to by medical personnel — resulting in a 10-minute delay — Zimmerman was able to walk off the field under his own power. The extent of his injuries were not known.
Despite Zimmerman's best efforts to contain Shenandoah's powerful offense — the team had already recorded wins by 32-5 and 22-11 scores this year — it was simply not to be. The Falcons tacked on singular runs in the bottom half of the sixth and eighth innings (the latter coming off a single from freshman Sam Tajiri and a double from junior Dan Etter), but Shenandoah did the same in its half of the seventh and eighth, making a Falcons' comeback wishful thinking.
Witmer paced Messiah at the plate, going 2-3 with his fifth homer of the year and an RBI. Zimmerman drove in two off a 1-1 performance, while Etter brought home a run via his eighth-inning double. Brubaker was one of six Messiah batters to record a hit, notching his ninth double of the season in the first inning.
Sorensen was saddled with the pitching loss, allowing five runs off of seven hits in his second collegiate start. Roten, Sipe and freshman Zach Adams all saw time on the mound in relief.
“We're not pushing the panic button,” Engle said. “The conversation we had with the team following this game could happen after week one or it could happen during the (conference) playoffs. It's just that when you win, mistakes sometimes get masked. No one wants to talk about getting better when you're winning, but you really should strive for improvement regardless of your results. We always talk about wanting to play excellent baseball, and the wins will take care of themselves. Right now, we're not, and as a result we aren't winning, either.”
Messiah will next return to MAC Commonwealth play, as the team preps for a three-game series with Lebanon Valley College this weekend. The Falcons will travel to LVC for a nine-inning affair Friday at 3:30 p.m., then will host the Dutchmen in a double-dip Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.
“We do have some young guys at some positions, but the frustrating thing is that it's not just the younger players struggling through mistakes,” Engle said. “There's no reason not to be ready when you step on the field. As a player, as a student, as a friend, as a husband, as a father … you should be ready when called upon. We've got to get better in our approach to the game. If we do, I have no doubt that good things on the scoreboard will follow.”
