Box Score Game 1 -
Box Score Game 2
by Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Chester, PA - The Messiah Falcons (11-19, 5-7 CC) took both games of a Saturday doubleheader with the Widener Pride (18-15, 7-8), concluding a three-game conference sweep that the Falcons desperately needed. Messiah capitalized on an offensive assault, collecting 18 runs and 27 hits en route to 8-2 and 10-6 victories.
Freshman
Derek Drake and senior
Sam Tajiri led the barrage with five hits apiece, and six players collected three or more hits. Senior
John Brubaker drove in five runs on a bases-loaded triple and a two-run home run, and classmate
Ryan Brown added three RBIs on four hits.
The team has now won five straight after losing 11 of the previous 12, and it's safe to say the Falcons have now hit their groove.
“Twenty-seven hits in 14 innings was great, and we had a lot of heart from our whole team,” said Messiah head coach Steve DeRiggs. “It was a great week. You gotta dig deep into your reserves to do the same for the next two series. We are put in a position where we have to win the final three series. We did it for one, and now we have to keep attacking. It was very satisfying to see the guys come together as a team, and play consistently well.”
Messiah wasted no time getting on the board, putting up two runs in the top half of the first inning on four straight singles.
Senior
Wes Hollenbach (3-0) took the mound, making his first collegiate conference start. He escaped a two-out jam in the first inning, induced a double play with the bases loaded in the second inning, and turned in perfect frames in both the third and fourth inning.
“We had some good performances today from Wes,” DeRiggs said. “He adds so much to the team, and he's a leader. It's very important to have him back with how many games he has missed.”
In addition to picking up the win on the mound to improve to a team-best three victories, Hollenbach also reached base three times on the day in seven plate appearances and scored a run.
Meanwhile, the Falcon offense kept scoring, putting up a run in the third, another in the fifth, and four more in the seventh, capped off by Brubaker's three-run triple.
Hollenbach was pulled in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two out, and junior pitcher
Galen Halteman recorded a key strikeout in relief to get Messiah out of the inning. Halteman pitched the rest of the way, allowing just one earned run in 2.1 innings.
“Halteman did a very credible job as well in relief, especially with his big strikeout,” DeRiggs said. “They were on the cusp of a big inning, and it gave us a lift. Galen has been a pleasant addition to the staff. We're thankful that he has joined us, especially as a walk-on. It goes to show you people who didn't get recruited can be an integral part of the team.”
Game 2:
Messiah picked up right where they left off in game two, again scoring two runs on four hits in the first inning. The Pride picked up a run of their own in the bottom of the frame but six runs in the third inning from Messiah put the game away.
Seven players collected hits in the rally as the Falcons batted around plus one batter. A two-run home run from Brubaker gave the Falcons 10 runs by just the fourth inning, and Messiah coasted from that point to a 10-6 win.
Sophomore
Paul Broomell pitched the first three innings on the mound, giving up two runs. He was followed by senior relief pitcher
Davin Okerblom (1-2), who pitched three of his own, picking up the victory. Classmate
Zach Adams finished it off on the mound, giving Messiah not only a conference series win, but a sweep.
Offense stole the show, as the Falcons never trailed in either contest and averaged over a run per inning. The first four hitters in the lineup (Tajiiri, Lapp, Brown, and junior
Paul Mellinger) combined to go 15-for-31 for the day, a .484 mark. Factor in a perfect day at the plate from Drake – five singles and three walks in eight plate appearances – and a monster performance from Brubaker that included two singles, a triple, a home run, and five RBIs, and it caps off a pretty exciting day for the Falcons.
“When you can jump on them early, it takes pressure off the pitchers, and you get into a rhythm and the flow of the game,” DeRiggs said. “Five in a row – this has been an exceptional week. The pitching has stepped it up, the hitting has been exceptional, and the defense has been very good.”
The team has now won five games in a week after winning six in two months. Messiah travels to Winchester, Virginia to face perennial powerhouse Shenandoah University in a 3:30 p.m. matchup on Tuesday, followed by a home contest with Susquehanna University on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
The Falcons pick up conference play next weekend with a three-game series against Arcadia University. The first of the games will be played at Arcadia in Glenside, PA, and the Saturday doubleheader will take place on Messiah's home Starry Field at 12:00 p.m.
