Box Score
Westminster, MD – Messiah College was unable to break a two-game losing streak on Wednesday, falling on the road to McDaniel College by the score of 7-4. The Green Terror scored in only two different innings, with a four-run eighth inning breaking open a one-run game with the Falcons.
Peter Fisher started took the loss for the Falcons. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks in 6.2 innings. Fisher didn't strike out a batter, and recorded 16 of his 19 outs in the air.
The loss drops him to 0-1 on the year, though his ERA still sits at an impressive 2.63 across five appearances (two starts).
The Green Terror broke through early in the game, scoring three of their runs in the second inning. The frame began ominously with Joe Fiore (hit by pitch) and Brandon Hayward (walk) reaching base with no one out. After a wild pitch, an RBI groundout brought home Fiore with the game's first run. Sean Sivo followed soon after by knocking a two-out RBI single up the middle to give McDaniel a 2-0 lead.
Sivo then moved to third by way of a stolen base and passed ball, and scored his team's third run (unearned) on another passed ball.
The middle innings were quiet for both teams, as Messiah collected only two hits through the first seven innings.
The Falcons began to chip away in the eighth inning, with
David Sletta leading off with a single to left field. After a groundout by
Paul Mellinger moved Sletta to second base,
Zach Brubaker brought him home with a single to left.
Brubaker then stole second base, with
Casey Ebersole following with a single centerfield. Now with runners on the corners and two outs, a double-steal brought home Messiah's second run as Ebersole was nailed at second.
With the bases now empty,
Jacob Sprengle was unable to start another rally as he went down looking on the eighth pitch of his at-bat.
But McDaniel broke open the game again in the bottom of the eighth, with Fiore (RBI) and Hayward (two RBI) collecting run-scoring singles before the Falcons were able to record an out. Their fourth run of the inning came around one out later on a throwing error by Ebersole at shortstop.
Now trailing 7-2, Messiah managed to put together a solid rally in their last at-bat.
Ben Sollenberger pushed
Derek Drake to third base on a pinch-hit double with no one out, with both he and Drake soon coming home on a pinch-hit single by
Jeremiah Eaton. Sletta followed with a one-out single to bring the tying run to the plate, but
Paul Mellinger grounded into the 5-3 double play to end the game.
Evan Young fell victim to the Terror's late-inning onslaught, as he allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits in just a single inning.
The loss also drops Messiah to 4-11 on the season, as they will look to right the ship tomorrow, Mar. 28, when they travel to Arcadia University for a conference double-header to start at 12:00 p.m.
