Box Score Game 1 I
Box Score Game 2
Reading, PA - The Messiah College softball team picked up a much-needed Commonwealth Conference split with Alvernia University Wednesday, solidifying their place in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs.
Courtney Allen hit a two-run homerun in the top of the ninth to take Game Two from the Crusaders, 4-2. In Game One, Alvernia collected 12 hits and scored 11 runs, compared to the Falcons' three runs on four hits.
Game One
The Falcons faced a 5-0 deficit after only two innings of play in Game One, but Messiah didn't go away easily. In the top of the third,
Natalie Fritz homered – her second of the year – to score the first run for the Falcons.
After starting pitcher
Claressa Mees shutdown the Crusaders' offense in the bottom of the third, the Falcons turned one hit and several fielder's choices into two more runs.
With the score at 5-3, the win seemed to still be in reach for the Falcons.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Crusaders extinguished any hope of a Messiah comeback when they turned seven hits into six runs. Mees gave up four singles, a two-run homerun, and a walk before
Jayme Babczak entered the game in relief.
Unfortunately for Babczak, she inherited a touch situation – bases loaded and only one out. After a sacrifice fly scored the fourth Crusader run of the inning, back-to-back singles pushed the score to 11-3.
With an eight run deficit, the Falcons had to score in the top of the fifth to stay alive. Alvernia's pitcher, Brittanie Wolfe retired Messiah in order to take Game One in only five innings.
Through 3.1 innings of work, Mees (10-3) – who took the loss – struck out three, walked two, and gave up ten hits. Babczak faced only four batters and allowed two hits.
Game Two
In Game Two, the scoreboard showed only goose eggs through five innings of play, until the Falcons broke the tie in the sixth. A defensive error put
Sarah Dietrich on base and a stolen base moved her on to second. After a groundout by
Brooke Pompeo,
Becky Notte's sacrifice fly to left field allowed Dietrich to score the game's first run.
In the top of the seventh, a double by Fritz and a single from
Madelyn Coffey extended the Falcons' lead to 2-0. But two runs weren't quite enough.
Despite throwing a one-hit gem through six innings of play, starting pitcher
Mallory Rutledge couldn't get past the top of the seventh. After back-to-back singles by the Crusaders, Dietrich took Rutledge's place in the circle. An RBI double by Danielle Kitchen brought the score to 2-1 and a sacrifice fly from Felicia McKenna tied things at 2-2.
With a runner on third and only one out, Alvernia was in prime position to complete the come-from-behind victory, but a fantastic defensive play by the Falcons stopped them in their tracks. As soon as the Crusaders' Rachel Fritz drove a fly ball to center field for the second out, Kitchen tug up at third hoping to score the game-winning run, by Coffey had other ideas. Coffey threw a laser into the plate and caught Kitchen at home for the third and final out.
As the game went into extra innings, the Falcons managed only one hit in the eighth while Dietrich retired the Crusaders in order. In the top of the ninth, Coffey drew a two-out walk and
Courtney Allen followed with a two-run homerun to left center.
With the 4-2 lead, the Falcons certainly didn't feel too comfortable and rightfully so. As the seventh inning proved, the Crusaders had the ability to score runs when it counts. But this time around, the Falcons had the upper hand. With one out, a single and a walk put the tying run on base, but Kitchen grounded into a double play to end the game and give Messiah the 4-2 win.
Dietrich earned the win and moved to 4-4 on the year. Offensively,
Becky Notte was 3-for-3 and drove in one run, while Coffey was 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Courtney Allen's homerun was her lone hit of the game, but put the Falcons on top with two RBI's.
Messiah will close out their regular season games on Saturday when they travel to Widener University. The double-header will begin at 1:00 p.m.
