By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Winter Haven, FL — Messiah extended a four-game winning streak to five with a 14-8 victory over Salem State College in the opener of Tuesday's doubleheader before falling on the short end of a 1-7 decision in the twin bill.
The games conclude Messiah's spring break swing in central Florida, as the Falcons finish with four wins against just two losses in the Sunshine State, improving the team's season record to 6-4.
“Florida was a good trip for us,” said Bryan Engle, Messiah head coach. “I learned a lot of things and had many questions answered about the team. I am happy to walk away with a 4-2 record (in Florida games).”
Game One began precisely the way the finale of last night's 7-6 win ended — as the Falcons capitalized on a plethora of singles, walks and errors to explode offensively. When the dust settled, Messiah (6-4) had put together a three-run first and four-run second inning, handing sophomore starting pitcher Nate Roten (1-0) a comfortable, 7-0 lead on the mound.
“Coming off of that emotional win in the (second game of last night's doubleheader), getting seven runs early was huge,” Engle said. “It picked us up and helped to deflate the (Vikings).”
Roten, who led the team in ERA last season (4.32) despite pitching just eight and a third innings, threw five superb innings in his first start of the year. The crafty right hander allowed Salem State (2-2) just two hits and three walks, recorded six outs via groundball, and retired six batters via fly outs and three more by virtue of strikeouts.
Coupled with his two-inning relief stint earlier in the season, Roten has pitched seven innings on the year without surrendering a run.
“Nate threw really well today,” Engle said. “He was not overpowering, but he kept the ball down, threw strikes and kept hitters off balance. He mixed in some off-speed stuff and the defense played great behind him. I was encouraged by his performance, and I think he was, too.”
Five more runs from the Falcons in the fourth inning gave Messiah a commanding 12-0 lead. Sophomore Sam Tajiri and senior Jordan Zimmerman highlighted the offensive barrage.
“You put up 12 runs in four innings and you're going to win a lot of games,” Engle said. “Our offense really played well in Game One.”
Tajiri collected three hits, scored two runs, and drove in two runs, while Zimmerman reached base in all three appearances (a single, double, and walk), scored twice and drove in three runs.
“J-Z had a great game for us,” Engle said. “When he gets hot, he really gets hot. He's a senior and just needs to trust in himself to produce. This was a big game for him and a step in the right direction for someone who is a big leader on this team.”
In all, 20 Falcons received playing time, as Messiah coasted to a 14-8 win, extending its season-high winning streak to five games.
Game Two followed immediately afterwards, the Falcons' fourth game in a span of just over 24 hours. Given that the Falcons were on the field warming up before the sun rose in the morning, a split for the day wasn't too shabby of a performance, although Engle said his club did commit some uncharacteristic mental mistakes in the second game.
“We weren't as focused as we could have been in Game Two,” he said. “I would like us to be sharper for that entire length of time. We can't give them outs and let them take advantage of additional scoring opportunities like we did.
“You don't want to look too far ahead after one game,” Engle continued. “If you win Game One, you get to play again. If you lose Game One, you get to play again. So even though we had a big win, we still had to play (the Vikings) one more time.”
Senior Derek Sipe (0-1) started on the mound in the day's second contest, pitching just three innings in his first outing of the season. The righty allowed six hits and four earned runs, departing with his team facing a 4-1 deficit.
Senior Elliot Thomas and sophomore Davin Okerblom finished the game on the mound, combining for three innings pitched, one earned run and three strikeouts.
“Davin and Elliot kept us in the game,” Engle said. “Davin continued to show good things and Elliot pitched well also.”
The Falcons' lone run came courtesy of sophomore Wes Hollenbach, who doubled, advanced to third on a single and then scored on sophomore John Brubaker's fielder's choice in the second inning.
After three doubleheaders in a long weekend, the Falcons have a much-deserved two days of rest as the team travels back to Grantham Wednesday. The squad is next slated to open both its home and Commonwealth Conference slates against Widener University Friday at 3:30 p.m.
“This rest will be important for us both physically and mentally,” Engle said. “The fun begins on Friday. We have a series of tough conference games coming up. I think it is important for us to get off to a good start, and I am excited for that.”
