Box Score Game 1 -
Box Score Game 2 -
Photo Gallery
Grantham, PA - Senior
Lauren Seneca went 3-4 with three RBI as Messiah College earned a 9-2 win over York College on Monday in Grantham.
Playing in the first game of a double-header, the Falcons went ahead 4-0 in the first inning and scored five runs over the fifth and sixth innings to put the game away. The Falcons (17-6) collected 15 hits in the game, with six players collecting multiple-hit games.
After a leadoff single by York in the first inning was erased by a double-play, sophomore Sara Dietrich set down the Spartans' third batter to bring the home team to the plate. Falcons' sophomore
Sarah Seneca got things going with a double into left field. After two quick outs, Messiah would collect five straight singles to take a 4-0 lead. The string of base hits were collected by senior
Jaclyn Merkel, Dietrich, sophomore
Amanda Fife,
Lauren Seneca, and senior
Abi Buchler.
Playing with the early lead, Dietrich would now allow York to get on the scoreboard until the fourth inning. In that frame, a leadoff single was backed up by a double to bring the Spartans within 4-1. Dietrich would then collect three straight outs-- with a second run scoring on a groundout-- to keep Messiah ahead 4-2.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Messiah would score another three runs to pull safely ahead of the Spartans.
Lauren Seneca knocked an RBI double to score pinch runner
Carley Neal. Seneca would later score on a single by Buchler, who advanced to third on a two-base error. A single up the middle by
Ashley Lehman would give the Falcons a 7-2 lead.
The Falcons would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth-- their final at-bat-- with RBIs credited to
Lauren Seneca and Lehman.
Freshman
Mallory Rutledge threw a scoreless seventh inning for Messiah.
Game Two
In game two, the Falcons went ahead 1-0 on an RBI triple by Merkyl—her second triple of the day. Like her triple from game one, Merkyl's drive went over the head of the right fielder.
Messiah added three runs in the third inning, all started with back-to-back singles by Lehman and
Sarah Seneca. The big blow of the inning was a two-run triple by Dietrich to right-center field.
In the fourth inning, a one out single by Lehman would be followed by an RBI double by
Sarah Seneca—her third hit of the game. Merkyl then continued her strong showing at the plate with a two-run double to straight away centerfield. She would later score on a single by Fife.
Junior
Jocelyn Hickey allowed only two hits to York, completing all five innings.
With the win, Messiah moves to 18-6. York falls to 7-13.
The Falcons will quickly turn around from today's game to host Lebanon Valley College in a single game on Tuesday, April 3. The make-up game from two weeks ago—called for darkness—will begin at 4:30 p.m.
