Game 1 Box Score - Game 2 Box Score
By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Harrisonburg, VA — Severe wind gusts at EMU Baseball Field in Harrisonburg, Virginia almost made Saturday's double-header between Messiah and host Eastern Mennonite University unplayable.
Almost.
Constant winds of 20 miles per hour and gusts of up to 60 m.p.h. didn't seem to phase Falcon starting pitchers Tory Arnesen and Jon Lapp, as the duo combined to pitch 10 and two thirds innings without giving up a single earned run.
Messiah (1-3) won the first game, 9-2, taking advantage of eight two-out runs and a dominating outing on the mound by Arnesen, a junior. Unfortunately, three Messiah errors in the nightcap spoiled a gem by Lapp in his collegiate pitching debut, as the Falcons dropped a 3-2 decision to Eastern Mennonite (3-5).
Pitching was the name of the game early, as neither team pushed a run across the board in the first three frames of the day's opener.
A two-out base hit by senior Jordan Snader kept the Falcons' fourth inning going, however, and the team proceeded to take advantage of its two-out opportunities. Junior John Brubaker walked, freshman David Sletta drove in a run on a single, Lapp followed with an infield hit to drive in another run and junior Sam Tajiri crushed a two-run double to deep right center field.
When the dust settled, the Falcons held a 4-0 lead, which was more than enough for their starting pitcher to work with on the mound. Arnesen (1-0) dazzled the Royals hitters on the day, tossing six innings, allowing just three hits and two walks. He didn't give up an earned run and struck out nine hitters, picking up the win.
“Tory threw a tremendous game for us,” said Steve DeRiggs, Messiah head coach. “We really needed it. He was as close to dominating as you can get, and it was an overall excellent outing.”
A two run-double by Brubaker in the fifth inning scored senior Jamie Scott and freshman Jacob Sprengle, and plated Arnesen with a six-run lead.
Three more late runs iced the scoring for Messiah, as Hollenbach and Sletta each chipped in with RBI singles, and Brubaker scored on an error.
“Our bats really woke up, led by David Sletta's two-hit game,” DeRiggs said. “Tajiri and Brubaker each had two-RBI doubles that were huge.”
Most impressively, Messiah scored eight of its nine runs in the first game with two outs recorded, including a four-run rally in the fourth inning that started with two outs and no one on base.
“Two-out hits bode well for us,” DeRiggs said. “It's really nice to see the hitters attack the ball with two outs. I was encouraged by that, as well as Arnesen's starting pitching.”
Senior Josh Hershberger finished the game on the hill, pitching a scoreless inning in relief, as the Falcons recorded their first win of the season.
Following their clutch play in the first game, however, Messiah was plagued by failed opportunities and errors in the nightcap.
“The story of this game was missed chances,” DeRiggs said. “We played poorly on defense. We had a chance to convert some opportunities and we couldn't do it.”
The first inning began well, as sophomore Paul Mellinger tripled with one out and scored on Hollenbach's single to right field. When Sprengle followed with a walk and junior Ryan Brown singled to load the bases, it appeared the Falcons were on the verge of a big inning.
Unfortunately, a hard line out and a strikeout negated the rally, although Messiah took a 1-0 lead into the home half of the first inning.
Meanwhile Lapp, a freshman making his first pitching start for Messiah, turned in a phenomenal outing on the mound. He yielded just a single hit and no earned runs, working into the fifth inning. Lapp walked just one, struck out three and even fielded his position well — making two barehanded pickups on bunts, both of which he threw out at first base.
“Lapp was superb on the mound,” DeRiggs said. “He gave up just one hit. It was an outstanding effort.”
The Royals tacked on an unearned run against Lapp in the fifth inning, as a two-base error followed by an RBI single tied the game at one run apiece.
The Falcons responded in the top of the sixth inning with one of the most interesting frames the team has had in quite some time. A bases-loaded walk by sophomore Tyler Deshong put the Falcons up by one and an apparent catcher's interference call gave the Falcons an insurance run, only to be overturned upon second review.
Brown began the inning with a triple to right field. Brubaker walked and Tajiri beat out a swinging bunt to load the bases with one out. Deshong then worked an RBI walk to give the Falcons the lead back. Following a strikeout, Scott was awarded first base on a catcher's interference call, forcing in another run. The play was called back however, and a strikeout ended the scoring threat, sending Messiah to the bottom of the sixth inning with a slim one-run lead.
Senior Travis Thome (0-2), who had finished the fifth inning, took the mound in the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead. Thome didn't allow a hit in the frame, but a pair of Messiah errors did in the Falcons, who saw a one-run lead turn into a one-run deficit in a matter of minutes.
Messiah then went down 1-2-3 in its half of the seventh inning, coming up on the losing side of a 3-2 decision.
“This was a game that shows up in the loss column, but should have been a win,” DeRiggs said. “Lapp was exceptional for us, but we need to finish games better.”
Five Messiah errors and an unheard-of 25 strikeouts at the plate doomed the Falcons, who came within five outs of sweeping the Royals to move to 2-2 on the season.
As it stands now, the Falcons are 1-3 and will travel to Bridgewater, Virginia next Saturday to play Bridgewater College. Game time for the double-header is slated to begin at 11 a.m.
