Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Grantham, PA — Yet another outstanding performance in the pitching circle from freshman Jessica Rhoads and an explosion at the plate equated to two more wins for Messiah Thursday, as the Falcons handed visiting McDaniel College 2-0 and 10-2 losses at Starry Field.
Rhoads (16-1) was the catalyst in the day's first contest, going seven full innings in recording her sixth complete-game no-hitter of her remarkable first collegiate season. Rhoads struck out 15 batters and came ever-so-close to the perfect game once again: Only a Messiah error in the sixth inning and a hit batter in the first provided the Green Terror with their only base runners of the game.
Still, it was a pitching performance worthy of All-American consideration, as Rhoads (205 K's) moved just six strikeouts away from tying the Messiah single-season record (currently held by Jess Chambers, who tossed 211 in 1999).
On the flip side, Messiah's bats would slowly come alive, generating nine hits in the opener — en route to 25 total blasts on the afternoon. A sturdy pitching performance from McDaniel's Christina Morley kept things knotted in a scoreless tie through four complete innings, but the Falcons would come through to add singular scores in both the bottom of the fifth and sixth stanzas. A lead-off double from junior Abby Bergakker was eventually plated off a single from freshman Abi Buchler in the fifth, while another double from Bergakker drove in freshman Ashley Lehman — who pinch ran for Rhoads after a lead off single.
Those two innings would be the start of an impressive day at the plate for Bergakker, as the junior catcher/designated hitter finished 5-7 on the afternoon with three doubles, three runs scored and one RBI. Sophomore Rebekkah Funk would equal those numbers, going 5-5 at the plate with a double, three runs scored and an RBI.
Much of the offense came during the Falcons' Game Two explosion, as the team recorded 16 hits in the six-inning affair. Junior Megan Rice (9-1) picked up the pitching win, going five innings while allowing nine hits and striking out three.
Messiah (26-4) found itself down by a 2-1 score following the top half of the third inning, but responded with a three-run bottom half to take a firm grip on the nightcap. A two-run homer from junior Nicole Adams paced that stanza, while singles from Funk and freshman Jaclyn Merkel led to two more scores in the bottom of the fourth inning.
When the Falcons recorded four more runs off of five hits in the sixth — a double from Funk started things off — the game would finish under the eight-run rule.
Funk's three hits in the nightcap led a quintuplet of multiple-hit performers for Messiah, as Bergakker (3-4), Merkel (2-3), senior Amy Bowie (2-4) and freshman Lauren Seneca (2-4) joined in the hit parade. Adams' third inning homer to centerfield was her fourth of the season.
Sophomore Corinn Eby (1) came on in the sixth inning in relief of Rice, picking up her first save of the season. With two runners on and no outs, Eby forced three consecutive groundouts to get out of the jam.
Messiah will now take an extended Easter weekend break away from competition, and will return to the field for a crucial MAC Commonwealth double-header against Lebanon Valley College Wednesday. Game time for the first of two is set for 3 p.m.
