By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Leesburg, FL — Messiah split a doubleheader with Clarkson University Saturday, opening its six-game swing in central Florida with a 4-2 win in Game One and a 4-7 loss in Game Two against the Golden Knights.
Junior Travis Thome (1-0) was phenomenal on the mound for the Falcons in the opener, tossing a complete game for his first win of the season. The right-hander yielded just four hits and two runs in seven innings, while striking out seven.
“Travis pitched tremendously tonight,” said Bryan Engle, Messiah head coach. “His command was exceptional on the mound, especially with the wind blowing out. It was one of the best performances of his college career.”
The Falcons' offense was efficient too, putting together a four-run fourth inning that proved to be the difference in the game. After allowing Clarkson (1-1) a singular run in the top of the third, sophomore Ryan Brown got things going for Messiah (3-3) in the fourth with a single. Sophomore Wes Hollenbach followed with a double, and senior Jon Shenk's two-run single gave the Falcons an early lead over the Golden Knights.
After freshman Paul Mellinger sacrificed Shenk to second, classmate Drew Frankenfield singled, and senior Adam Ranck delivered a run-scoring single. Senior Sheldon Witmer's base hit with two outs scored Frankenfield, and capped off the inning's scoring for the Falcons.
“Our fourth inning was huge,” Engle said. “Getting four runs gave Travis the ability to be a little more comfortable out there on the mound.”
Thome ran into a bit of trouble in the top of the fifth inning, facing the Golden Knights' top hitter with runners at second and third with two outs. The third-year starter bore down and registered a tough strikeout, however, thwarting what could have been a big inning for the Clarkson — the 2009 Liberty League Champions.
In the sixth inning, the Golden Knights loaded the bases with no outs retired, putting the go-ahead run at the plate.
Once again, Thome pitched his way out of a jam: The Schaefferstown, Pa. native got the first batter to hit a sacrifice fly to right field, and then a timely 4-6-3 double play ended the inning.
“That double play was huge,” Engle said. “They could have put together a big inning, but our defense really came through.”
In the Golden Knights' last chance in the seventh, Thome retired the final three batters all on groundouts, giving the Falcons their third consecutive win.
Witmer and Ranck each collected three hits for the game, among the 11 total hits by Engle's club.
In Game Two, senior Jordan Zimmerman's RBI single in the top of the first frame scored sophomore Sam Tajiri and gave the Falcons an early 1-0 lead.
Sophomore Thor Arnensen earned the start for the Falcons on the mound, making his ninth collegiate appearance. While Arnesen struggled at times — allowing four runs in four innings pitched — he did keep the Falcons in the game, departing with a 4-2 deficit.
Messiah responded with two runs in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game, doing so without the services of a hit: Three walks and an error by the Golden Knights pushed two across the board, as the teams headed into the middle of the fifth inning tied.
Sophomore Zach Adams (0-1) pitched the fifth inning, coming in for Arnesen. Adams allowed two runs and was credited with the loss for the game.
For the Golden Knights, reliever Alex Giovannone pitched superbly to close out the game, allowing no runs in two and one-third innings pitched.
The Falcons' last efforts to mount a comeback fell just short in the top of the seventh inning. After Witmer singled to lead off — capping off a four-hit day for the senior — and Hollenbach walked, the Falcons had the tying run at the plate with just one out. Unfortunately, freshman Jon Hoover struck out and Shenk grounded out, ending the Falcons' bid at extra innings.
Saturday's double-dip was the first Florida games for the club after a scheduled Friday contest against Misericordia was cancelled due to thunderstorms in the area. That game will not be made up, but an originally-scheduled single game with Salem State College on Tuesday has now been changed to a double-header.
Before that, however, the Falcons will take to the field Monday, facing the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. The first of an afternoon double-header is slated to begin at 3 p.m.
