XML Box Score 1 |
XML Box Score 2 Annville, PA – Messiah College took both games of a double-header set with Lebanon Valley on Saturday, with both wins coming in extra innings.
Ben Sollenberger came through in both games with go-ahead hits that sealed each victory.
Game One - Messiah 5, Lebanon Valley 4 (9 inn.)Ben Sollenberger laced a two out double in the ninth inning to lead Messiah to a 5-4 win over Lebanon Valley in the double-header opener.
John Griffitts picked up the win after throwing two strong innings in relief of
Steven Ridings, who pitched a shutout through the first five innings.
Ridings sat down 11-straight batters from the first through fourth innings before J. Higgins reached on an error with two outs in the fourth. He finished the frame but ran into trouble in the fifth inning, when Lebanon Valley loaded the bases with two singles and a hit-by-pitch. With two outs Ridings escaped the jam in dramatic fashion, picking P. Dohner off first base for the third out.
His strong start backed up a 4-0 lead for the Falcons. They scored single runs in first inning (
Derek Drake sac fly) and second inning (
Joseph Saufley single) and then doubled their lead on a two-run single by
Jon Heisey in the fourth.
Ridings finally relented the first Dutchmen run in the sixth when Higgins doubled in T. Flier with one out. In the seventh inning Ridings' put two men on and then served up a three-run homerun to Leymeister that tied the score at 4-4.
Despite giving up the lead Ridings was strong; he finished seven innings and allowed just four hits, with the homerun accounting for most of the damage.
In the first extra inning Griffitts worked out of a two on, two out situation to set up the Falcons' winning rally in the ninth.
Zach Brubaker reached base (hit-by-pitch) with one out in the ninth and, one batter later and with two outs, raced around on Sollenberger's double to give Messiah the lead.
Lebanon Valley did put two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth, but Griffitts retired the final outs on fly balls to centerfield to seal the win. He moved to 3-0 with the victory while Ridings lowered his team-leading ERA to 2.05.
Sollenberger picked up two of Messiah's eight hits and also walked twice.
Game Two - Messiah 11, Lebanon Valley 9 (8 inn.)In similar fashion to game one Messiah took an early lead, fell even to Lebanon Valley, and then won late. This time the Falcons scored four times in the first inning alone
Isaiah Shipman (two) and
Casey Ebersole each doubling and combining for three RBI.
The Dutchmen chipped away with runs in the first and second innings, but
Jacob Sprengle put Messiah up 5-2 in the third with a double to left center. But Lebanon Valley came back quickly once more and scored two runs in the bottom half to chase
Jon Lapp from his start.
John Griffitts replaced Lapp and promptly retired five of the first seven men he faced. He ran into trouble in the fifth, however, as T. Flier doubled in two runs to put the Dutchmen on top 6-5.
Undeterred from their deficit, Messiah responded with a rally of their own in the sixth. After two quick outs were made, four-straight Falcons reached base and three runs scored.
Zach Brubaker collected a two-run single to left field and
Joseph Saufley chased him home with a double down the right field line. Just like that, the Falcons were on top 8-6. Ebersole added a run-scoring single in the seventh to make it 9-6.
Still, it was not enough. In their last at-bat the Dutchmen put together a three-run rally to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Trouble started for Messiah when
Adam Marshall walked his first batter and then hit another to put two runners on base.
Zach Luman then came in but gave up a quick single to load the bases.
After a groundout and force-out at home, a walk brought in a run and D. Dellinger followed with a single to center. An error on the throw home allowed the second of two runs to score and the game was tied at 9-9. With runners on the corners and just one out, Luman induced two pop-ups on the infield to avoid a walk-off win for Lebanon Valley.
In the very next inning Sollenberger and Messiah made up for the blown lead.
Jon Heisey led off the frame with a clean single and Brubaker also reached on an error by the catcher. After Saufley and
Derek Drake made outs, Sollenberger came through with a two-out single to right to score two runs.
Luman redeemed himself in the bottom of the eighth, though he put two runners on base before collecting the third out of the game.
Luman picked up the win and moved to 1-0. Saufley, Sollenberger, Sprengle, and Ebersole each had two hits for Messiah and Sollenberger drove in three runs. He went 4-7 on the day with two walks and four RBI.
Messiah moved to 10-8 overall with the wins, including 8-3 in the Commonwealth Conference.
