Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Reading, PA — An explosive day at the plate and yet another no-hitter from freshman pitcher Jessica Rhoads kept momentum churning for the Messiah softball team Saturday, as the Falcons handed host Albright College 11-0 and 12-3 defeats in MAC Commonwealth action.
Rhoads opened the day in the pitching circle for Messiah (18-2, 4-0), charting her fifth complete game no-hitter in 11 starts. She finished with 15 strikeouts and no walks, coming just a sixth-inning error away from her first collegiate perfect game.
Not that Messiah would need it. The Falcons blasted four doubles and a homer en route to 13 hits in the opening win, posting three runs in the top of the first and never looking back. A double from senior Amy Bowie highlighted that stanza, while Bowie's fourth long ball of the season brought in two runs in the fifth inning.
Messiah then tacked on five more scores in the top of the sixth inning — a triple from sophomore Rebekkah Funk brought in three — while Roads (11-0) struck out the bottom of the inning, save for the lone base runner to reach via error.
"Jess was again awesome and our bats were on fire today," said Amy Weaver, Messiah head coach. "Just about everyone in our lineup hit, and it was fun to watch as a coach."
Messiah's 13 hits in the opener were bettered by 17 knocks in the nightcap, as Weaver's club went on to hit five home runs, six doubles and a triple on the afternoon. Even a three-run first inning from Albright (3-19, 0-6) was no cause for concern in the second contest, as five Falcon scores came across in the visitors' first three at-bats.
A solo shot from freshman Jaclyn Merkel started things in the first, while a three-RBI blast from junior Nicole Adams helped to four runs in the third. It would be the first of two homers on the day for Adams, as the first baseman put one over the right field wall in the fifth inning.
The Falcons closed with a seven-hit, five-run sixth in the nightcap, led by a homer from freshman Lauren Seneca and a double from Bowie.
Junior Megan Rice (6-1) picked up the pitching win in the day's second game, going three and one-third innings with four strikeouts while allowing three hits. None of Albright's three runs were earned. Rhoads (2) picked up her second collegiate save, coming on in the fourth and striking out six of eight batters faced.
On the day, Bowie went 5-7 from the plate with four runs scored and five RBI, blasting three doubles and a homer. Merkel went 6-8 with four RBI and three runs scored (knocking a double and a homer as well), while Adams' two long-ball day equated to a 3-4, four RBI performance.
"I'm sure the fans were entertained by seeing the ball go over the fence five times today," Weaver said. "We got a little sloppy in the first inning of the second game, making two errors and opening the door for them to score. Megan pitched very well and should have been out of the inning had it not been for those mistakes. After that, though, we just played very well in all aspects. It's hard to lose when your team scores 23 runs on the day with five home runs."
Messiah now takes its 18-2 overall record to its home field, as the team prepares for a 16-game homestand after playing its first 18 games on the road. The Falcons begin that stretch Tuesday, hosting Gettysburg College in a double-header. Game time for the first of two is set for 3 p.m.
