By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — Messiah split a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader with Elizabethtown College Saturday, losing Game One by a 3-0 score before winning Game Two, 6-0.
Junior Travis Thome (1-2) took the loss for the Falcons in the opener, although the Schaefferstown, Pa. native turned in a fine performance: Thome pitched a complete game, allowing three runs – just one earned – on eight hits and three walks.
“I thought Thome pitched great for us today,” said Bryan Engle, Messiah head coach. “He was up against one of the best pitchers in the league and he battled, keeping us in the game. Thome had good command of his pitches and he escaped several jams. I always tell the pitchers that their job is not so much to win the game as it is to keep the team in the game, and Thome did an excellent job of doing that.”
Pitching for the Blue Jays was Adam Hartzel, a third-team All-Region pitcher last year. Hartzel quieted the Falcons' bats for seven innings, allowing just three hits and no runs — just the second time Messiah had been shut out on the season.
Elizabethtown (8-6, 3-2) jumped on the board in the first inning, as leadoff hitter Rodney Francis took second base after his towering fly ball was lost in the sun by Falcons' center fielder Jordan Zimmerman. Francis advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single, plating the Blue Jays with the first run of the day.
Thome settled down, escaping several jams on the day. The right-hander faced a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the first inning and forced a fly out. Later, in the fifth inning, the Blue Jays loaded the bases on three singles before Thome recorded a strikeout and fly out to end the scoring threat.
Messiah (8-8, 2-3) faced rally opportunities in both the sixth and seventh innings but were unable to capitalize on either.
In the sixth, the Falcons loaded the bases with two outs, but couldn't push across a run. Again in the seventh – the last chance for Messiah – the team had two men on and the tying run at the plate with two outs retired, but senior Jon Shenk's ground ball to third base ended the game.
Game Two started out strong for the Falcons, as the team pushed across four runs in their half of the first, providing junior starter Eric Spring with all the run support he would need for the game.
Sophomore Sam Tajiri opened the game by beating out a ground ball to the shortstop. Following a walk to senior Adam Ranck, the two pulled off a double steal, putting two men in scoring position for sophomore Wes Hollenbach.
Hollenbach delivered with an RBI single to right field, and senior Sheldon Witmer followed with an RBI double. Sophomore Tory Arnesen scored Hollenbach with a ground ball to the shortstop and senior Jordan Zimmerman sent Witmer home with a sacrifice fly.
“When we start doing the little things and take a team-first approach, we're going to win a lot of games,” said Engle, referring to the two runs Messiah scored on outs. “That's taking advantage of our opportunities in a big way.”
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays couldn't buy a hit off of Spring. Other than a bunt single to lead off the game, the only other hit the southpaw allowed in seven innings of work was a harmless single in the fifth inning.
Spring (2-1) finished the day throwing seven innings for a complete-game win, allowing just two hits, four walks and recording six strikeouts. The junior did not allow a runner to third base after the first inning and just two Blue Jays ventured into scoring position for the game.
“Spring was excellent for us,” Engle said. “He was confident, poised, and with a four-run lead early on, he had a lot to work with. It freed him to relax out there. I think the key to his performance was his balance and tempo. Both of them were excellent out there on the mound.”
Although unneeded, the Falcons added a couple of insurance runs for Spring. In the third inning, Hollenbach's one-out single started a rally, as he advanced to third on a base hit by Witmer and then scored on Arnesen's sacrifice fly.
Hollenbach, who was recently moved to the number three spot in the lineup, finished the day with two hits and two walks, raising his team-high batting average to .421 and on-base percentage to .551.
“(Hollenbach) has been swinging the bat really well for us,” Engle said. “He's been our most consistent hitter as of lately. He has tremendous discipline at the plate. He won't try to pull it if he doesn't need to. He's a smart hitter with an excellent eye, and he'll do what it takes to help the team.”
Messiah added another run in the bottom of the fifth frame, concluding the day's scoring in the process. Witmer walked and advanced to third on a single by Arnesen. Freshman Paul Mellinger then delivered a base hit to right field, sending Witmer home and putting the Falcons' sixth run of the day on the board.
In the seventh inning, Spring walked the leadoff hitter before inducing the next batter to hit into a 5-4-3 double play. A ground ball to Mellinger at shortstop ended Spring's first career NCAA shutout.
Defensively, the Falcons were fundamentally sound, making just one error in two games.
“I have a lot of confidence in our whole infield,” Engle said. “Wes (Hollenbach) is a great first basemen, Jon (Shenk) has great hands at second base, Paul (Mellinger) is making tremendous strides at shortstop and Adam (Ranck) is one of the smoothest third basemen I have ever played with or coached in my life. I think if we continue to trust our defense, we're going to win a lot of games.”
Messiah is slated to face the Blue Jays again on Monday, hoping to make up the final game of the series originally scheduled for last Friday. Game time is slated for 3:30 p.m.
