Clermont, FL - The Falcons closed out their Spring Break games in Florida Saturday with two shutout victories, finishing the week with a .500 record. Messiah got their first win of the day in just five innings against Elmhurst College, claiming the 10-0 victory. In their second game, the Falcons weren't as offensively prolific yet they brought home the the 3-0 win over Carleton College.

Game One - Elmhurst 0, Messiah 10 (5 innings)

The Falcons (6-6) unloaded some serious offense in their second-to-last game in Florida, accumulating 14 hits en route to scoring 10 runs. 10 different players picked up hits in the game, while six drove in the all-so-important runs.

The bats were hot for Messiah from the very first pitch. Katie Tankred's RBI single in the first inning drove in Brooke Pompeo for the early lead.

The Falcons completely broke things open in the third when both Amanda Jones and Amber Bingaman homered (with two outs), bringing the Falcons' lead to 5-0. Emily Quatrale kept the hits coming with a double then was followed by a single from Nicole Blantz. Carrie Fix knocked in both runs with a double in the next at-bat. After a pitching change by the Blue Jays (2-1), Pompeo walked then was followed by an RBI single from Courtney Allen.

When the dust settled, the Falcons were ahead 8-0; but they weren't done yet.

They took advantage of several miscues by the Blue Jays to post two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, thus ending the game in a 10-run mercy rule. Becky Notte gave the Falcons their first baserunner with a walk then advanced to second on a single from Shannon Denny. Moments later Alyssa Herr struck out swining, but reached first on an error by Elmhurst's catcher. With the bases loaded, Fix was hit by a pitch to bring in the Falcons' ninth run. In the next at-bat Pompeo singled and knocked in the final run for Messiah.

Elmhurst was unable to muster much offensive pressure, thanks to right-hander Claressa Mees. Mees limited the Blue Jays to only three hits and struck out the same number. With the victory, she moves to 2-3 on the season.

Game Two - Messiah 3, Carleton 0

The Falcons faced a completely different scenario in their second game of the day. They found themselves fending off numerous scoring opportunities from the Knights (4-3), while struggling to push the necessary runs across the plate.

Carleton started strong with a lead-off double then a sacrifice that moved the lead runner to third. The Falcons' defense came up big though, stopping the runner from scoring and got out of the inning unscathed.

Messiah responded offensively in the top of the second when Amanda Jones doubled then was knocked in on a single from Becky Notte.

It was very evident that a 1-0 lead wasn't going to be comfortable as the Knights created another scoring opportunity in the bottom of the frame. Fortunately for the Falcons Carrie Fix (3-3) was sublime from the pitcher's circle, getting a flyout and a groundout to end the inning.

Despite their efforts, neither team was able to score through the next four innings. The Falcons may have had the upperhand in hits, managing four compared to the Knights' one, yet the advantage didn't adjust the scoreboard.

That all changed in the top of the seventh.

The Falcons demonstrated their patience at the plate, drawing three walks in the inning, en route to scoring two more runs. Nicole Blantz turned a one-out walk into a scoring opportunity when she moved to second on a single from Fix, then stole third. In the next at-bat Pompeo tried to knock her in, but grounded out to the pitcher. With two outs, Courtney Allen, last season's walks leader (19), drew another walk to load the bases. Syndey Boreman repeated Allen's efforts with a walk, brining in the Falcons' second run. Jones rounded out the inning with her third RBI of the day, knocking in Messiah's final run of the game with a single.

Fix closed out the bottom of the seventh, giving up just one hit, while claiming her third win of the season.

On the day, Fix was strong on both offense and defense. At the plate, she went 4-7 (2B, 3B, two runs scored) with two RBI. Jones (3-7) also heavily contributed to the Falcons' offense with a double, a homerun, and three RBI.

The Falcons return to Messiah College next week and are scheduled to play their first home game of the season against Susquehanna University on Thursday. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.