Game One Box Score I
Game Two Box Score
Grantham, PA - Senior
Jaclyn Merkel went 3-3 with a single, double, and triple in Thursday's 3-2 Commonwealth Conference win over Lycoming College.
Messiah's starting pitcher, junior Sara Dietrich threw into the seventh inning allowing two runs on seven hits, but it was freshman
Mallory Rutledge who thwarted a late offensive surge by the Warriors (5-15, 0-6) to grab her first save to date.
"Mallory stepped in at a critical time and got the job done," head coach
Amy Weaver said. "I wish we wouldn't have been in that position that late in the game, but we struggled to produce offensively."
The Falcons generated six hits to the Warriors' seven, with Merkel being a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle.
Despite leading by two runs going into the seventh inning, a lead-off single by Lycoming applied enough pressure to make the Falcons take notice. The next batter stroked the ball down the left field line for a double. Junior
Stephanie Schell fielded the ball and began the relay throw to home in hope of getting the lead baserunner. Unfortunately, the final throw to home was off the mark.
The Falcons' lead was now down to only one run and Lycoming had a runner on third base and no outs.
In steps Rutledge.
For some pitchers, this is the best it can get and yet for others, it is the worst.
Rutledge wasted no time proving that she loves this stuff, striking out the first batter with a celebratory fist pump. The second batter popped up to senior
Ashley Lehman at third for the second out, yet it was Lehman's diving effort that stopped a well struck ball from sneaking through the left side that sealed the victory for the Falcons.
Game Two
In game two, solid hitting from the top of the lineup produced a five-hit, four-run third inning that gave Messiah (21-6, 6-0) the early lead.
Two consecutive singles to left field from Lehman and sophomore
Sarah Seneca, set the stage for freshman
Nicole Blantz. Blantz's well-placed hit to right field scored Lehman, while aggressive baserunning moved Seneca to third and Blantz to second.
With runners in scoring position, sophomore
Krista Ammon came through with another single to score both runners. After a pitching change by the Warriors, Schell singled to plate Ammon for her team-leading 25th RBI.
With the 4-0 lead, Messiah was in the driver's seat.
"The third was a big offensive inning for us," Weaver said. "We got on base and put the ball in play to advance the runners. We weren't swinging for the fence in those at-bats and that made a difference."
The Falcons put their final run on the board in the fifth, when S. Seneca blasted the ball to center field for her team-leading seventh triple of the season. Ammon later drove her in with a single to left field.
Messiah's offense finished with five runs on eight hits, with Ammon driving in three runs on two singles and a stolen base. S. Seneca went three-for-three and added a stolen base.
Rutledge found herself entering the game once again, this time in relief of starter
Jocelyn Hickey. Despite allowing two runs on five hits in a little over three innings of work, Rutledge struck out three to earn the win and improve to 5-2 on the season.
The Falcons return to the diamond on Monday when they travel to Hood College. The doubleheader is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.
