Game 1 Box Score - Game 2 Box Score
By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — It was a tale of two stories for Messiah in Monday's Commonwealth Conference regular-season finale double-header against Alvernia University.
The Falcons suffered a brutal 15-3 loss in the first game, thus eliminating the team from any chance at the number one seed in the upcoming Commonwealth Tournament, but rebounded strong in the nightcap to earn a commanding 8-4 victory against an Alvernia team that hadn't lost a conference game all season.
“We really bounced back after that first game,” said Steve DeRiggs, Messiah head coach. “We overcame adversity against a nationally-ranked team, and our guys really earned it.”
Treacherous field conditions made the field almost unplayable and had a major impact on each team's defensive abilities. The two squads combined to lay down 12 bunts on the day and a slippery infield made it nearly impossible to field the ball cleanly.
Alvernia (27-5, 14-1) built a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Messiah senior starting pitcher Travis Thome, doing so on four hits, including a slew of bunts. The Falcons tied the game up with two runs in the bottom of the second inning and one in the third, knotting the game at three runs apiece.
Senior Jamie Scott connected on a big two-run single for Messiah (20-17, 13-5) in the second, plating juniors Ryan Brown and Tory Arnesen, and sophomore Drew Frankenfield drove in junior John Brubaker with an RBI single in the third inning.
The Crusaders — ranked 11th in the latest Collegiate Baseball Top 25 — showed why they've been consistently ranked among the nation's leaders, putting up four runs in the fourth inning and five more in the fifth. For the day, Alvernia pounded out 22 hits, led by Leon Stimpson and Tim Ahlquist, each of whom collected four hits in Game One.
Messiah couldn't register another run after three early scores, and in fact, totaled just two hits in the entire game. Alvernia freshman Mike Weinhold threw a complete game two-hitter, striking out eight while limiting the Falcons to just a .200 batting average with runners in scoring position.
Thome (5-5) was tagged with the pitching loss in the first game.
In the nightcap, the Falcons handed the ball to Arnesen. Arnesen gave up a pair of early runs to the Crusaders, but settled down for the remainder of the game. Arnesen (6-2) pitched his fifth complete game of the season, allowing 1- hits and no walks, while striking out four.
“Tory pitched a complete game for us,” DeRiggs said. “He didn't shut them down, but he kept them in check, and he was a large part of our victory.”
The Falcons utilized a seven-run output in the bottom of the fourth inning to provide Arnesen with all the runs he needed on the mound. Frankenfield began that rally with a single, Mellinger worked a one-out walk, and freshman Jacob Sprengle hit an infield single to load the bases.
From there, a balk brought in Frankenfield to start the scoring, freshman Jon Lapp added a two-run single, and juniors Sam Tajiri and Brubaker each had RBI hits. Brown finished the scoring in the frame with a two-run home run to right center field, putting him in a tie with Arnesen for the team lead (3) in home runs.
“Ryan Brown was the big sparkplug for us in that game, but Jon Lapp, Sam Tajiri and Drew Frankfield all had big days at the plate as well,” DeRiggs said.
Brown finished the day with three RBI. Frankenfield had three hits on the day, while Lapp and Tajiri totaled multiple-hit days.
From here, Messiah doesn't play a conference game until Thursday, May 5, which signals the start of the 2011 Commonwealth Conference Tournament. The Falcons have officially locked up the number two seed and with a bye week this coming weekend, have played all their conference games for the regular season.
Messiah will close out the regular-season with a pair of non-league tilts, beginning with a trip to McDaniel College Wednesday. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m.
