Box Score Game 1 I
Box Score Game 2
Owings Mills, MD - The Falcons used a three-run fifth inning to take a 5-3 win in Game One of Saturday's Commonwealth Conference double-header with Stevenson University. A homerun by the Mustangs' Lindsay Kuczak scored the lone run in Game Two to give Stevenson the split decision.
Game One
Early offensive production gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead after three innings of play. In the first inning, Messiah posted a lone run on singles from
Nicole Blantz and
Becky Notte. This was the 15th time that the Falcons scored in the opening inning. In the third, a throwing error by the Mustangs gave Messiah their first base runner of the inning, who eventually scored on a double by Notte – her 12th of the season.
After Stevenson scored single runs in both the third and fourth to equalize things at 2-2, the Falcons responded with three more runs in the fifth.
Madelyn Coffey's lead-off double to left field jolted the offense back to life. In the next at-bat,
Courtney Allen's bunt single moved Coffey to third, but a throwing error on the play allowed Coffey to score. With Allen on second, another bunt single – this time by Blantz – gave the Falcons a first-and-third situation. After a line-out by
Brooke Pompeo gave Messiah their first out of the inning, Blantz made her way to second base in an attempt to draw the throw and give Allen time to score, but the Mustang's defense held Allen on third. Moments later, a wild pitch was all it took to score Allen as both runners moved up a base on the misfire. In the next at-bat, Notte drew a walk for yet another first-and-third situation. This time, Notte made the move to second, which allowed Blantz to break for home and score the Falcons' third run of the inning.
With the 5-2 lead, the Falcons needed to preserve their three run cushion for the next three innings.
In the fifth inning, starter
Claressa Mees (10-2) retired the Mustangs in order, but in the sixth inning, a lead-off double and a fielding error by Messiah brought Stevenson one run closer at 5-3. Mees went to work again in the seventh, this time getting three consecutive fly-outs for her seventh complete game victory of the season.
Offensively,
Becky Notte (2 RBI's) and
Madelyn Coffey both doubled, while
Nicole Blantz finished 2-for-3 with three stolen bases.
Game Two
The Falcons were shutout in Game Two for only the fourth time this season. Messiah created scoring opportunities by collecting nine hits and getting runners on base in six of seven innings played. Despite this, the Falcons failed to deliver timely hits and left a total of nine runners on base.
In several innings, the Falcons found themselves with runners in scoring position but couldn't find a way to score.
After a lead-off single by
Katie Souders in the second inning gave Messiah their third base-runner of the game,
Daniella Pusateri entered the game as a pinch runner. But her wheels weren't enough. The Falcons popped up two consecutive times to end their chance of scoring.
After another failed attempt in the third that left one runner on base for Messiah, the Mustangs' Lindsay Kuczak drove the ball over the center field fence for her first homerun of the season and the only run of the game.
The Falcons rallied in the both the fifth and sixth innings, but couldn't manage to get a break.
In the fifth, a lead-off single was mishandled by the Mustangs' right fielder to put Coffey on second. A passed ball moved her to third, but in the next at-bat, Stevenson's defense prevented Coffey from scoring on a bang-bang play at the plate.
In the sixth, back-to-back singles by Souders and
Sarah Dietrich gave the Falcons new life. With two outs, a double steal moved them to second and third, but a pick off play at third ended Messiah's chances.
A one-hit seventh inning wasn't enough to surpass the Mustangs as the Falcons suffered the 1-0 loss.
In six innings of work, starter
Mallory Rutledge (10-5) gave up one run on five hits and struck-out four. Offensively, Blantz, Notte, and Souders each picked up two hits.
The Falcons return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Reading, Pa. to play Alvernia University. The double-header will begin at 3:30 p.m.
