Box Score Game 1 -
Box Score Game 2
Frederick, MD - Messiah College head coach
Amy Weaver won her 400th career game on Monday, adding another accolade to an already-impressive resume as the Falcons' leader. Her record now stands at 400-214-1.
Since taking over the program in 1998, Weaver has led the Falcons to both conference, regional, and national prominence. The Falcons are three-time defending Commonwealth Conference Champions in 2012, and having won five conference titles with Weaver at the helm. The Falcons won their first NCAA Division III National Championship for softball in 2009-- finishing with a program-best 43-4 record that included a season-ending 23-game winning streak. Her 300th career win came in the 2009 national title game.
In 2011, the Falcons
earned another Regional Championship as Weaver and her staff were on their way to
being recognized as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. The Falcons finished 7th in the nation.
Entering the 2012 season, Weaver ranked 52nd all-time for highest winning percentage by a softball coach with at least 10 years' experience at a Division III institution. With her 400th career win, she joins an exclusive group of which there were only 50 other members entering the 2012 season.
"I love coaching at Messiah," Weaver said. "It only means a lot to me because it's a reflection of all the work that has gone into our program by many people over many years. We focus on our players, and this is as much their accomplishment as anything else."
"A lot of credit needs to go to our entire coaching staff," Weaver continued. "From pitching, to the infield, outfield, hitting-- you name it. Nothing we've accomplished could have been done without each of our coaches."
With their two wins on Monday, the Falcons own a record of 23-6. They are 6-0 in the Commonwealth, and riding a nine-game winning streak. They will look to stay hot when they host Widener University on Saturday, April 14, in a double-header scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Game One
Messiah College collected 15 hits in the first game of a double-header with Hood College on Monday, winning 9-3. Sophomore
Sarah Seneca, who was today
honored as the Commonwealth Conference's Player of the Week, went 3-4 with an RBI in the win.
Five different players collected a single RBI for Messiah, as the visiting Falcons scored a single run in the third inning and three more runs in the fourth inning to take a 4-0 lead. Seneca scored the Falcons' first run after singling through the right side, stealing second, and eventually crossing home on a wild pitch. Two of the three runs scoring the fourth inning were unearned due a throwing error on the Blazers' first baseman.
The Falcons broke the game open in the latter innings, scoring two and three runs in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. Messiah's sixth inning was highlighted by a double-steal of home and second base by
Ashley Lehman and
Sarah Seneca. Lehman's steal of home was the first this year by the Falcons. Seneca would score that inning on a single by senior
Jaclyn Merkel.
Sophomore Sara Dietrich moved to 10-2 on the season with the win, throwing all seven innings and allowing three earned runs on eight hits. She struck out six batters against no walks.
Game Two
In game two, the Falcons earned a 10-3 win over Hood College for Coach Weaver's 400th career win.
The game started out in a familiar way for the Falcons: a basehit by
Sarah Seneca. It was the sixth time in the past seven games that Seneca started out the Falcons' first inning with a basehit. After her team-leading 24th stolen base landed her second, Seneca moved to third base on a single by freshman Ncole Blantz. Seneca and Blantz would advance on the basehit, and both score one batter later on an error by the Mustangs' second baseman. An RBI single by Dietrich would put the Falcons up 3-0 after a half-inning.
The Mustangs would get one run back in the bottom of the first inning, as Amy Hagerdon would double and eventually score on a sac fly.
The Falcons regained a three-run lead in the third inning after Seneca reached base on a throwing error. She would steal second before scoring two batters later on a groundout by Lehman.
Messiah would also tack on runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 6-2 lead into the sixth inning. In that frame, a booming double to center field by Lehman would plate two more runs to give the Falcons a commanding 8-1 lead. Two more unearned runs for score for Messiah to make it 10-1 in the seventh inning.
In total, the Falcons collected 13 hits, including 11 singles. Lehman finished with three RBI while Blantz, Merkel, junior
Stephanie Schell, and senior
Abi Buchler each picked up two hits.
Freshman Mallory Rutlege was dominant on the hill for the Falcons, throwing 6.2 innings and permitting only one earned run before allowing a two-run homerun to Caity Battey in the final inning. She struck out four batters against zero walks.
