Game 1 Box Score - Game 2 Box Score
By Bryn Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Annville, PA — Messiah ended its 10-game winning streak in disappointing fashion Saturday, suffering a rare sweep at the hands of Commonwealth Conference rival Lebanon Valley College (12-5). Their pair of losses dropped the Falcons to 18-4 for the season, including a 4-2 mark in conference play.
Returning for the first game was junior pitcher Jess Rhoads, who had been scratched from the previous two double-headers with a nagging injury.
Making her first start since Mar. 26, Rhoads saw one of the most impressive individual streaks in NCAA Division III sports come to an end in the first inning. It was then that Rhoads allowed a hit for the first time in her last 35 and two-thirds innings of work — a span of eight appearances and seven starts. Dutchmen leadoff hitter Katie Deardorff reached on a bunt single. A sacrifice moved Deardorff to second, and a passed ball sent her to third, but two Rhoads' strikeouts ended the inning.
In each of the first two frames, the Falcons had a runner reach third, but could not score a run. Junior Jacki Merkel was left stranded after her two-out triple in the first. And in the second, sophomore Stephanie Schell singled, junior Lauren Seneca reached on a bunt and Rhoads sacrificed the runners to second and third. But freshman Sara Dietrich struck out swinging and junior Ashley Lehman grounded out to short.
In the bottom of the third, Rhoads allowed her first runs of the season. A double, walk, sacrifice bunt and single scored two before Rhoads retired the inning's final two batters.
The Falcons threatened in each of the next three innings. Freshman Krista Ammon singled in the top of the fourth, but was thrown out trying to advance to second. Later in the inning, Lauren Seneca walked and advanced on a passed ball, but a groundout ended the potential rally.
In the top of the fifth, Lehman walked with one out and advanced to third on freshman Sara Seneca's double. But Lehman was thrown out at home on junior Abi Buchler's sacrifice bunt and Merkel grounded out to end the inning. And in the top of the sixth, Schell and Rhoads singled but the Falcons couldn't manage a run.
Pitching through a nagging injury, Rhoads (7-1) allowed seven hits and two runs in seven innings. She took the loss, just her sixth of her college career.
“We should have won the game 4-2,” said Messiah head coach, Amy Weaver. “We stranded runners throughout the whole game. Every time I called a bunt things ended with a strike out or pop out. We had missed signals on stolen bases and other calls. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong in the first game. We beat ourselves and should have won.”
In Game Two, the Falcons started sophomore Jocelyn Hickey. Hickey turned in rare poor start, allowing home runs to two of the game's first four hitters. She settled down, but still allowed nine hits, two walks and four earned runs in five innings of work.
With the bats, the Falcons could muster just a single run. It came in the second inning, after Lauren Seneca worked a one-out walk, advanced to second on sophomore Myranda Cox's sacrifice bunt, and scored on sister Sara's triple to left field. But Sara was stranded on second after Lehman lined out to third, ending the inning.
A pair of RBI doubles in the fifth and sixth innings gave Lebanon Valley (14-5, 4-2) a 4-1 lead. Lauren Seneca led off the top of the seventh with a double, but Messiah (18-4, 4-2) couldn't bring her across.
Lebanon Valley pitcher Laura Snyder threw a gem in the nightcap, surrendering just four hits, a walk and one run over seven innings. She struck out nine and improved to 3-4 on the season.
“They were definitely the better team in this game,” Weaver said. “They won and they should have won. They threw their better pitcher in this game and she just plain beat us.”
Hickey (5-2) took the loss, the second of her season, and just the fourth of her collegiate career.
“We should have split the double-header,” said Weaver.
Messiah will next travel to York College Tuesday, where they will begin a double-header at 3 p.m.
