Box Score Game 1 -
Box Score Game 2
Ewing, NJ - Coming into Wednesday's match-up with The College of New Jersey, sophomore Sara Deitrich had pitched 22 consecutive scoreless innings. However, it took all of four batters for a run to cross (on a groundout) as TCNJ took a 1-0 lead after the first inning and finished with a 5-0 victory.
Walks were Deitrich's main culprit on Wednesday, as the game's leadoff hitter was given a free pass before scoring the game's first run. In the fifth inning, another walk-- this time with one out-- scored on a wild pitch after two stolen bases moved put the runner on third with two outs.
TCNJ scored three runs in the sixth inning to move their 2-0 to 5-0, and again it started with a leadoff walk. Messiah managed to record two outs before any runs were across for the Lions, but an untimely error by the infield allowed two runs to score. One batter later, an triple brought in a third run in the frame.
In all, Dietrich pitched six innings and gave up five hits and five runs (two earned). She struck out one batter and walk four others.
Messiah would match TCNJ's five hits on the day, but wouldn't manage to push a run across. The Falcons' did not collect back-to-back hits in the game, recording multiple hits only in the second inning.
Game Two
Messiah's woes at the plate continued in game two, asthe Falcons again collected only five hits and fell to the Lions-- this time by the score of 10-2. Junior
Jocelyn Hickey surrendered nine hits and seven runs (six earned) in just four innings pitched. Freshman
Mallory Rutledge lasted 1/3 of an inning before TCNJ pushed their lead to eight runs, ending the game in five innings.
The Lions benefitted from a single run in the first inning and three runs in each the third and fourth innings. A two-run homerun by the Lions in the third innnig pushed the score to 4-0. In the fourth inning, the Lions collected and two RBI triple and an RBI single to force Hickey from the mound.
The Falcons managed to get on the board in the fifth inning courtesy of a RBI double by senior Jacklyn Merkel and a run-scoring sac fly by junior
Stephanie Schell.
With the lead now cut to 7-2, the Lions of TCNJ collected four hits and benefitted from another Messiah error to score three runs.
With the losses, Messiah falls to 14-6. They will next play on Saturday, March 31, when they travel to Albright College for a Commonwealth double-header at 1:00 p.m.
