Box Score
Grantham, PA - Amidst four errors and 11 unearned runs, the Messiah Falcons (5-15) dropped a 14-7 decision at the hands of The College of New Jersey Lions (11-7). The loss drops the Falcons to 0-5 on their home field; Messiah has now lost six in a row since its opening conference win over Lebanon Valley College.
Senior
Nate Roten started the game for the Falcons, pitching six innings and allowing just three earned runs. Roten (0-3) gave up five hits, walked four, and struck out four, receiving the loss for the contest.
“Nate threw the ball quite well for us,” Messiah head coach Steve DeRiggs said. “He was charged with seven runs, but only three were earned, and he kept us in the game. He gave us an opportunity to win, but we just couldn't keep it within reach.”
Roten was wild in his first inning, walking two and hitting one batter before a bases-loaded double cleared the bases. All four runs scored in the frame went into the books as unearned because of an error that kept the inning alive.
Messiah countered with a solo home run from senior
Ryan Brown in the bottom of the frame and two more runs in the third inning to make it a 4-3 game.
TCNJ rebounded to score twice in its half of the fourth, as a two-run blast made it a 6-3 game, but Messiah then rebounded with a pair of runs in its turn at bat in the sixth inning. Junior
Paul Mellinger and senior
John Brubaker started the rally with singles, before sophomore
Jacob Sprengle's sacrifice bunt and freshman
Jon Heisey's walk loaded the bases.
Senior
Sam Tajiri delivered with a two-run single up the middle to cut the deficit to one run.
The Falcons then collapsed in the top of the seventh inning as five hits, a walk, a pair of hit by pitches, and an error did in Messiah. When the dust settled, Messiah was down 14-5 and the Lions had batted around plus four batters.
The Falcons picked up two more runs in their turn at bat in the seventh, as Brown came through with his second home run of the day and Brubaker's RBI single scored Mellinger from second base.
A bases-loaded opportunity in the eighth inning was squandered on a deep fly ball to center field that stayed in, and the Falcons went down without a run in their final two frames.
The miscues in the field overshadowed a stellar day from Brown at the plate, as Brown blasted two solo home runs and added a walk and a hit by pitch, raising his on-base percentage on the season to a stellar .536. It was the first two-home run game of his collegiate career for Brown, who now leads the team with four bombs, in addition to top marks in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, and total bases.
“It gives us encouragement to see how well the offense has been doing, especially senior captain
Ryan Brown,” DeRiggs said. “We have been scoring runs in bunches and putting ourselves in a good position to win games.”
In all, five players had multiple hits for the Falcons – Brown, Brubaker, Mellinger, Tajiri, and sophomore
David Sletta.
Messiah travels to York College on Wednesday to play the Spartans in a non-conference game at 3:30 p.m. before taking on the Albright College Lions in a weekend conference series.
