By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — Whoever said 'a win is a win' obviously did not attend Tuesday's baseball game at Messiah College.
What started as a pitcher's duel turned into an offensive slugfest, as Messiah put together a frantic, late-game comeback to overtake McDaniel College by a 14-13 score — an event that literally honored the team which batted last.
A total of 40 hits and 27 runs for the day led to a storybook ending for the home team, as Falcons' senior Jordan Zimmerman drove in the winning run with the bases loaded and two outs in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“What an ending,” said Bryan Engle, Messiah head coach. “Those late innings at the plate treated us pretty well today.”
Such was indeed the case, as Messiah (14-15) plated eight runs in the final two stanzas, a needed offensive outbreak after McDaniel (9-16) tacked on seven in the seventh inning alone.
As crazy as it ended, Tuesday's non-conference affair started in mundane fashion. Senior Derek Sipe received the pitching start for the Falcons, finishing the day with four and two-thirds innings pitched, allowing 10 hits and five runs. He did not walk a batter, struck out one and took a no-decision for the game.
For Messiah, its offense started quietly, mustering just a single run in the first, third and fifth frames. In the first inning, freshman Paul Mellinger singled, advanced to third base on senior Dan Etter's double, and scored on senior Sheldon Witmer's ground out.
In the third inning, sophomore Sam Tajiri doubled to lead off the frame. He advanced to third base on Mellinger's fly ball to right field and scored on Etter's ground out.
The Green Terror matched the Falcons by scoring a run in the top of the second and fourth inning to knot the game at two runs apiece. In the fifth, the Green Terror tallied three runs of its own against Sipe to take a 5-2 lead. It was at that point that sophomore relief pitcher Josh Hershberger entered the game to try to stifle the damage.
Following a walk and a single to load the bases, Hershberger got McDaniel catcher Ramon Hart to line into a double play, from third baseman Adam Ranck to first baseman Jordan Snader, ending the inning.
Engle's club responded with a run in the bottom of the inning, as Etter tripled in a run, the senior's second extra-base hit of the game.
Three more Falcon runs in the sixth inning ended the day for Green Terror starting pitcher Mike Freeman, who pitched five-plus innings, allowing three runs on eight hits.
Zimmerman began the inning with a single, his first of three hits for the day. Snader struck out, but Ranck was hit by a pitch — putting two men on for sophomore Ryan Brown. Brown delivered with an RBI single, and senior Jon Shenk lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Ranck while tying the game at five runs apiece.
Junior Sean Hart, filling in for Tajiri, then doubled in Shenk to give the Falcons a 6-5 lead through six innings of play.
The lead would not last however, as the Green Terror exploded for the aforementioned seven runs in their half of the seventh, doing so against three Falcons' relievers, to take what appeared to be a commanding 12-6 lead.
The scoring featured six hits, including a home run, in addition to two walks, a wild pitch and an error.
Senior Elliot Thomas finished the inning on the mound, getting a fantastic highlight-reel catch from Zimmerman in center field to end the damage done by the Green Terror.
Thomas then worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning, setting the stage for a Falcons' rally for the ages.
Facing a six-run deficit with just two innings to play, Messiah's offense exploded for six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game at 12 runs apiece.
“You can't teach that clutch factor,” Engle said. “That's something the guys just have to execute, and they did it today.”
Shenk began the rally with a one-out single. Hart followed with a single and Mellinger was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A balk scored the Falcons' first run of the inning, before Etter came through with a two-run single. Zimmerman followed with an RBI single and Ranck hit a clutch two-out, two-run double that tied the game.
Junior Travis Thome was called on to pitch the ninth inning for the Falcons. The Schaefferstown, Pa. native, making just his second relief appearance of the season, allowed just a single unearned run.
“T's a gamer,” Engle said. “He's got a good arm and I have a lot of confidence in him.”
Sadly for Thome, McDaniel notched the go-ahead run following the last of three Messiah errors on the afternoon, putting the hosts down — again — by a 13-12 score.
Facing their last licks in the bottom of the ninth and needing a run, the Falcons' offense came through. Brown led off the frame with a single, his fourth hit of the day. Freshman pinch-runner Matt Turman then swiped second base and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Shenk.
With the tying run just 90 feet away, Hart collected his third hit of the day, a huge RBI double that knotted the game at 13. Mellinger was intentionally walked and Etter was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with one out.
Witmer then flied out to shallow left field, setting the stage for the Zimmerman, the team leader in extra- base hits.
Zimmerman — who had saved a run with arguably the defensive play of the season in the seventh inning — smacked a base hit into left field, scoring junior pinch-runner Jamie Scott and winning the game in dramatic, walk-off fashion.
“There is an old theorem that says the toughest out is the last one,” Engle said. “I think J-Z proved that today.”
Etter led the way at the plate, as the senior collected a single, a double and a triple, driving in four runs, plus a big hit-by-pitch to keep the game alive in the ninth inning. Brown finished the day with four hits. Hart and Zimmerman each had three hits, while both Witmer and Shenk collected two of their own.
Thome (3-3) took the win, pitching an inning in relief on the mound, while Gio Fricchione (0-2) of the Green Terror took the loss.
The Falcons, who had seen just four total runs from their lineup in a doubleheader loss to the Albright College on Saturday, responded with a season-high 22 hits and a season-high 14 runs for the game, overcoming some struggles from the bullpen and three errors in the field. Messiah's 13 total RBI equaled a season-high mark.
“It was great to get this win,” Engle said, “but win or lose, we have a game to play on Thursday. We should have a short memory and get ready for Thursday.”
The Falcons will play at Franklin & Marshall College Thursday before resuming Commonwealth Conference play with a three-game weekend series against Arcadia University.
Game time for Thursday's nine-inning contest with the Diplomats is slated for 3:30 p.m.
