XML Box Score 1 |
XML Box Score 2 Glenside, PA – On the same day 26 Major League Baseball teams opened the 2014 season, the best performance may have come from Messiah's
Jon Lapp. The senior right-hander tossed seven innings and collected 12 strikeouts in a complete-game victory to lead the Falcons to a 2-1 win over the Knights.
The last of Lapp's strikeouts was the most emphatic; he caught Justin Chasmar looking to end the game with the tying run on third base.
Lapp struck out the first two batters he saw but then allowed back-to-back doubles to allow Arcadia's only run. He recovered to strike out the side in the inning, and then impressively struck out the side again the second inning. He did not allow another base runner until a one-out double in the fifth inning.
Altogether Lapp allowed just four hits and did not allow multiple baserunners in any inning other than the the first. He also recorded at least one strikeout in every inning.
Lapp's offense backed him up with two runs, the first of which came by way of a two-out infield single by
Casey Ebersole in the second frame. His hit towards shortstop pushed
Jon Heisey across home plate.
The game remained tied at 1-1 until the fourth inning. Heisey singled with two outs to chase
David Sletta (walk) to third and, after a walk by
Joseph Saufley loaded the bases, Ebersole reached on catcher's interference to give Messiah the lead.
Messiah threatened again the fifth inning when
Derek Drake (lead off single, steal of second) was sent to third base on a balk. But Arcadia's John Loyd settled down to retire the next three Falcons to keep the game close.
The Knights' best chance to tie the game came in their final at-bat. Connor Arsenault doubled to left center and soon stole third. Standing just 90 feet away with no one out, he and his teammates watched Lapp collect two groundouts and the aforementioned game-ending strikeout to seal the win for Messiah.
Lapp evened his record at 1-1 with the win. Drake collected two of the Falcons' five hits.
Game Two - Messiah's Late Run The Difference in Eight InningsArcadia's frustration from the game one loss paid dividends early in game two; the Knights came out of the gates quickly and went up 3-0 in the first inning.
Evan Young put himself in a jam with back-to-back walks to start the frame and Elliott Freeman bought them both home with a double. Three batters later an RBI single put the hosts up 3-0.
Messiah collected two hits and two walks in the first two innings but it wasn't until the fourth inning that they would score.
Jacob Sprengle led off the frame with a double and came home immediately by way of an error on the grounder of
Isaiah Shipman.
Joseph Saufley doubled later in the inning to bring Shipman home to bring Messiah within 3-2.
The Falcons tied the game and took the lead in the sixth inning. Saufley knocked a one-out single to tie the game and
Jon Heisey then scored another unearned run thanks to a throwing error by pitcher Michael Nessell.
Zach Brubaker then reached on another error—this one by the shortshop—which allowed another run to put Messiah up 5-3.
But the Knights came back strong with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Young, who allowed just three more hits from the second through fifth innings, left two men on base with one out for new pitcher
Adam Marshall. He quickly retired his first batter but then allowed an RBI single and a run to score on a passed ball that tied the game.
The teams played through a scoreless seventh inning and Messiah took the lead back in the eighth.
Zach Brubaker singled with one out and the stole second to start the rally. After a groundout by
Derek Drake pushed him to third, another error by the Knights' shortstop allowed him to trot home.
John Griffitts (2-0) earned the win for Messiah; he followed up a scoreless seventh by striking out the side in eighth. He and Young both finished with four strikeouts to help the Falcons' pitchers finish with 21 total strikeouts in the double-header.
The wins for Messiah pushed their record to 8-6 overall and 6-3 in the Commonwealth. Arcadia fell to 3-13 and 2-7 in the conference.
Messiah will next play on Wednesday, Apr. 2 when they travel to Shenandoah University for a 3:30 game.
