Championship Box Score
Grantham, PA — So what if the start of Saturday's Commonwealth Conference Championship was not what Messiah head coach Amy Weaver had hoped for.
The conclusion was right on point.
Messiah responded in a big way Saturday afternoon at Starry Field, coming back from a first-inning, 4-0 deficit to hand Widener University an eventual 10-4 defeat — giving the Falcons' their sixth conference championship and fifth berth into NCAA Regional competition in program history.
With star freshman pitcher Jessica Rhoads and sophomore reliever Corinn Eby both out with injury, Messiah (35-4) relied on junior Megan Rice to lead them to the promised land, even if Rice was shaky at first: Widener (25-18) rattled off five hits en route to four scores in its first at-bat, drying the mouths of a large contingent of Messiah supporters.
Thankfully for the Falcons' faithful, Weaver's squad erupted for 14 hits in six offensive innings of work, keeping the possibility of a winner-take-all Game Seven a distant thought.
"These girls never quit," said Weaver. "They are some of the most mentally tough athletes I've ever coached. Sure, the first inning was tough. But there was no panic when they came off the field, no worry. We just talked about chipping away at the lead, and that's what we were able to do."
Rice (14-1) eventually settled into a sweet pitching groove, allowing just five hits and no walks following the top of the first inning.
That stanza went south in a hurry for Messiah, as a two-out home run from Widener's Steph Connolly began the merry-go-round. A pair of singles followed, and when the Pride's Kelsey Shultz singled to left field, another run was plated.
As Messiah's infield went to convene at the pitcher's circle to talk with Rice, Widener's runner on third sprinted home, as all six Falcons' infield players stood and watched near the pitcher's rubber.
Messiah had failed to call for time. The play was still live.
"It wasn't a good inning for us, that is for sure," Weaver said. "But again, we didn't get rattled. Talking to Megan, the conversation was more, 'What pitches do you want to throw?' and 'What do you think will work best?' (Pitching coach) Alex (Quigley) made some adjustments with her, and she really threw well the rest of the game."
Messiah's bats came alive in the third and fourth innings to complement Rice's performance, and it was soon clear the Falcons would not be denied from adding another check mark to their magical season's to-do list. Following a pair of singles in the second inning that plated the team's first run, Messiah erupted for eight total hits in the third and fourth innings, leading to four-run outputs in both stanzas. Doubles from freshman Abi Buchler and junior Abby Bergakker highlighted the third — along with a crucial Widener error — while four Falcons' singles (and another Pride error) brought four more home in the fourth.
A sacrifice fly from junior Nicole Adams brought home freshman Ashley Lehman in the sixth — who pinch ran for junior Lindsay Hall, who singled — and the party was started. Rice gave up her final hit of the afternoon in the top of the seventh, but a beautiful 6-4-3 double play provided Messiah with the final outs of the contest, setting off a wild celebration near the pitcher's circle.
Freshman Lauren Seneca was named the tournament's most valuable player — an award that took into account her two-home run Friday, complete with a game-winning single in the day's finale against Lebanon Valley College. Weaver was quick to point out the committee's tough decision to select any individual MVP, however, as so many Messiah players came up huge.
"This weekend was as big of a team success as is possible in softball," she said. "We had so many people come up huge. We didn't have just one pitcher get it done. We didn't have just one batter get it done. Everyone played big roles in this championship. That makes it even more special."
Saturday's statistics would equate as much, as six Falcons registered two hits in the win. Buchler, Bergakker, Adams, Seneca, sophomore Rebekkah Funk and freshman Jaclyn Merkel all finished with two knocks each, while Hall, Bergakker, Adams and Seneca each drove in two runs.
The conference championship was Messiah's first since the 1999 season — a year that the Falcons advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series. The Falcons advanced to the World Series in 1998 as well, and add a league championship plaque to those from 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. The program will appear in NCAA Regional play for the fifth time — the conference did not qualify for an automatic bid when Messiah won the crown in 1997.
"We're going to enjoy this for a day or so," Weaver said. "We'll have plenty of time to think about NCAA (Regionals) next week."
Messiah will learn its NCAA Regional placement and opponent Monday at 11 a.m. EST, as the NCAA Division III National Softball Selection Show will be broadcast live on NCAA.com. Check back to this site for the latest updates regarding the Falcons' post-season quest.
Widener advanced to Saturday's Commonwealth Championship game by virtue of a pair of wins earlier in the day, as the Pride dealt Arcadia University a 9-3 loss in the first game while ending Lebanon Valley's season in a 6-5, eight-inning thriller immediately before the title tilt. For detailed information on the two-day, double-elimination event, visit the officialMAC Commonwealth Tournament website.
