Box Score
by Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Salisburg, MD - The Messiah Falcons (7-19) rallied for four ninth-inning runs to stun the fourth-ranked Salisbury Sea Gulls (23-6) by a 6-3 score in Monday's contest.
“It was nice to come from behind and win it on the road against a quality opponent,” said Messiah head coach Steve DeRiggs. “We have lost our fair share late and this was a big win for us today that will hopefully get us back on track. We've played well against two of the top 10 teams in the nation, and we know we can play with the best.”
The Falcons entered the ninth inning down 3-2 and on the verge of their fourth consecutive loss but junior
Matt Turman began the rally with a leadoff single, sophomore
Jon Lapp extended it with an RBI double that that tied the game, and senior
Ryan Brown hit an RBI single up the middle that drove in Lapp for the eventual winning run.
Junior
Paul Mellinger followed with an opposite field double to score Brown for an insurance run and he scored himself when senior
John Brubaker reached on an error.
Sophomore
Paul Broomell, junior
Galen Halteman, and senior
Zach Adams collectively gave up just three runs against a Sea Gulls team that entered the day averaging nearly eight runs per contest. Broomell threw the first three innings, allowing Salisbury to an early 2-0 lead, before Halteman came in and pitched five terrific innings of relief.
Halteman worked his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth inning by inducing a ground ball out and then a heads-up double play by Lapp. Halteman (2-2) gave up just four hits in his five innings on the mound, allowing only an unearned run, and picking up the win.
“Galen was outstanding for us today,” DeRiggs said. “All we ever ask of the pitchers is that they keep us in the game, and he certainly did that.
Paul Broomell did a good job before him mixing it up, and then we went to our off-speed pitcher in Galen, and he was tremendous.”
Meanwhile, Messiah scored a run in the top of the sixth to cut the deficit to 2-1; Lapp singled, advanced to second on Brown's walk, and scored on sophomore
Jacob Sprengle's RBI single up the middle. The Sea Gulls responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame but Messiah countered with another run in the top of the seventh to make it a 3-2 game.
This one came courtesy of classic small ball: Turman singled, advanced to second on senior
Sam Tajiri's sacrifice bunt, went to third on Lapp's groundout, and scored on Brown's double to deep right center field.
Down by one run entering the ninth inning, Turman started the rally with another timely single, and Lapp's one-out double down the third base line scored Turman and knotted the game at three runs apiece. Hits by Brown and Mellinger in succession, followed by another Sea Gulls error gave the Falcons a commanding 6-3 lead.
Adams closed it out in relief in the bottom of the ninth inning, retiring the top three hitters in order, the initial two on a strikeout and the final out on a routine fly ball. Adams registered his fourth save of the season.
“Zach just shut the door on them in the ninth inning, and he's had a very successful season for us,” DeRiggs said. “He's been outstanding when we've needed him, and he responded today in a good closing situation.”
The Falcons capitalized on five Sea Gulls errors on the day, taking advantage of strong wind conditions throughout the game.
“We had good adjustments at the plate given the terrible wind conditions with gusts up to 30 miles per hour,” DeRiggs said. “The wind really took over the game, and we were able to keep it on the opposite field at the plate and it was a good piece of hitting by the team to adjust like they did. Defensively, I thought they played very well for their first game on artificial turf. There's a different bounce to the ball and more speed, and I was pleased with the way they played in the field.”
Offensively, four different Falcons – Lapp, Brown, Sprengle, and Turman – collected two hits, with Brown leading the group with two runs batted in. The Falcons also received some strong defensive efforts, with Lapp making his fair share of impressive plays in the field, and Tajiri adding another highlight reel catch in center field.
Messiah returns home to play the York College Spartans in a Tuesday contest. Game time is slated for 3:30 p.m.
