Box Score
Grantham, PA - Messiah College overcame a 7-3 deficit to Dickinson College on Wednesday to stun their guests 8-7 by way of a walk-off sac fly in the ninth inning.
Matt Turman plated the final run with a flyout to center field with the bases loaded, with
Casey Ebersole racing home to a Falcons' celebration near the home dugout.
Messiah's comeback seemed unlikely after Dickinson broke a 3-3 tie to go ahead 7-3 after their at-bat in the fifth inning. The Red Devils scored three runs in that frame alone, with Jesse Skaff's two-run double to right centerfield being the big blow.
The Falcons went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning but, after
Evan Young worked around a two-on, two-out situation in the top of the sixth, started to chip away.
With runners on second and third and no one out,
Jeremiah Eaton cut the Falcons' deficit in half with a two-run single. He came around to score later in the inning on a groundout to second base by
Jordan Seltzer.
Messiah and Dickinson entered the bottom of the eighth inning with the Red Devils still clinging to a 7-6 lead.
Ben Sollenberger walked with one out and moved to second base on a groundout by
Jacob Sprengle. Now in scoring position, he raced around third to tie game at 7-7 on a single by
Zach Brubaker.
With momentum fully on their side,
Peter Fisher completed his second scoreless inning by setting down the Red Devils in order in the top of the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth, Messiah wasted no time in building their threat. Ebersole led off with a single to right centerfield and stole second in front of a walk by
Jon Lapp.
Paul Mellinger followed with a sac bunt to move both Ebersole and Lapp into scoring position, bring up
David Sletta as a pinch-hitter.
Dicksinon's Tyler Clauson-Wolf intentionally walked Sletta to load the bases, with the visitors electing to create a potential force-out at each bag. But Turman did not deliver the groundball they preferred, as his drive to centerfield brought home Ebersole with the game-winning run.
Fisher (1-0) earned the win for his two innings of hitless relief. He collected three of the Falcons' pitcher's 10 strikeouts in the game. Clauson-Wolf (0-2) took the loss for Dickinson (11-20).
Messiah collected just seven hits on the day, but worked eight bases on balls to keep pressure on the Dickinson defense. Four of those hits and five of those walks came in the sixth inning and after as the Falcons worked back from their four-run hole.
The win moves Messiah to 12-18 on the season and accounts for his fourth victory in their past five games.
The Falcons will look to stay in the win column on Friday when they travel to Stevenson University for the first of three games in a home-and-home series with the Mustangs this weekend.
BB: Falcons Rally & Walk-Off Dickinson Gallery
