Fayetteville, NC - Messiah College split their season-opening double header with Methodist University (1-3) on Saturday with a 9-1 win and a 1-2 loss.

Game One - Messiah 9, Methodist 1

In Game One of Saturday's double-header, the Falcons (1-1) collected 12 hits and benefitted from some early runs to win 9-1 in six innings. Courtney Allen and Becky Notte each went 2-3 with a double, and they combined for five RBI to lead the way. Carrie Fix went 3-4 with a triple and scored three runs.

Allen (1-0) picked up the win in the complete-game finish, holding the Monarchs to just one run on two hits.

The tone was set in the very first at-bat when Carrie Fix drilled a triple down the right field line. Fix later crossed the plate on a passed ball, giving the Falcons the 1-0 lead. Messiah added two more runs in the inning on an RBI double from Notte who later scored on a passed ball. When the dust settled, the Falcons scored a total of three runs on four hits.

Thanks to four more hits and two Monarch errors, Messiah extended their lead to 6-0 by adding two runs in the second and one run in the third.

The Monarchs removed their goose egg from the scoreboard by taking advantage of a few Falcon miscues in the fourth. In the bottom of the frame, Messiah committed one defensive error, gave up a walk, and a passed ball, resulting in a single run.

With a 6-1 lead through five innings, the Falcons tacked on three more runs on four hits in the top of the sixth to take a commanding 9-1 lead. Back-to-back singles from Haylee Anders and Fix got things going for the Falcons then Allen knocked both runners in on a two-out double to left center. In the next at-bat, Notte's single up-the-middle drove in Allen to closeout Messiah's scoring.

The Monarchs were unable to push a run across the plate in the bottom of the inning, resulting in a six-inning, mercy rule win in favor of the Falcons.

Game Two - Messiah 1, Methodist 2

Scoring was held to a minimum in Game Two with only three tallies between both teams throughout the game. Erin Cressman gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth on a solo homerun, her first of the season. The narrow lead held through 6.5 innings until the Monarchs took advantage of a wild pitch and a passed ball to score two runs in the bottom of the seventh for the 2-1 win.

The Falcons' best chance of adding to their early tally came in the fifth when Anders walked then was followed by Fix who made her way to first after being hit by a pitch. With two runners on and just one out, the Falcons pressed their luck with a double steal, but the Monarchs got the lead runner for the second out. In the next at-bat, Fix made her way to third on a passed ball but couldn't be hit in by Brooke Pompeo who flied out to left field.

Both teams accumulated four hits in Game Two, yet two of the Monarchs hits came when they counted most. In the bottom of the seventh, the Monarchs strung together two hits and took advantage of a passed ball and a wild pitch to score the game tying and go-ahead runs.

The Falcons plan to open MAC Commonwealth play on Thursday when they travel to Albright College. The double-header is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m.