Carlisle, PA - AJ Steindel made the most of his first career start in a Messiah uniform on Tuesday afternoon. In a 5-3 victory over the Dickinson Red Devils, Steindel went a perfect 4-4 from the plate, delivering a three-run home run in the top of the eighth to give Messiah the lead for good.
 
Ben Sollenberger led off the game with a single to right before being cut down on a fielder's choice just moments later. Joseph Saufley then doubled to left and put two Falcons in scoring position with one away. Colin Fry grounded out to short but the groundout allowed a run to score, giving Messiah a 1-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the second, a lead off single and a walk put runners at first and second for the Red Devils. In a clear bunting situation for Dickinson, Messiah executed a wheel-play on the sacrifice bunt attempt and cut down the lead runner at third. Quinton Kuntz struck out the next batter, but a two-out single to left-center tied the game at 1-1. Kuntz then fanned the next batter for the final out of the frame.
 
Messiah quickly got that run from the bottom of the second back. In the third, Adam Janney singled and then stole second before coming home on a Colin Fry single past the third baseman down the line. Fry's second RBI gave Messiah a 2-1 lead midway through the third.
 
In the top of the fifth, the Falcons threatened with the top of their order loading the bases. A walk, an error, and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Josh Good with two away. The Red Devils brought in lefty reliever, Mo Felt, to face the left-handed Good. Good ripped a ball to the first baseman, who made a diving play and flipped to Felt covering to bag to end the inning.
 
After getting two quick outs in the bottom of the fifth, Kuntz ran into trouble allowing a single and a pair of walks to load the bases and end his afternoon. Drew Betz entered the game and after a Messiah error and a base hit to left, the Red Devils held a 3-2 lead.  A fly out to right ended the inning and closed the book on Messiah's starter Kuntz, 4.2 innings, 3 runs (1 earned), 3 hits, 5 walks, five strikeouts.
 
The Falcons threaten in the top of the sixth, putting two runners on with two outs, but Messiah couldn't push them across. An inning later, Messiah picked up a one-out walk but was immediately picked off of first base, ending the makings of a rally. It was the second runner picked off in the game and the third runner cut down on the bases including a caught stealing earlier in the game.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Drew Betz worked out of trouble. After the Red Devils loaded the bases with two outs, Betz got an inning ending groundout to shortstop to keep Dickinson off the board in the frame.
 
Heading into the eight, the Falcons were still looking for the big hit. Messiah had left eight runners on base through the first seven innings. In the top of the eighth, Messiah got the first two runners on thanks to an error and a base hit by Kyle Schoen. After the Falcons failed to advance the runners, AJ Steindel stepped to the plate and delivered the hit the Falcons were waiting for. Steindel sent a no-doubt-about-it homer to left that gave the Falcons a 5-3 lead.
 
Now with a lead, Betz went to work, striking out the first two batters of the inning, before a two-out double for the Red Devils put a runner in scoring position. The next batter singled to right, but a perfect relay by the Falcons nabbed the runner at the plate and kept the score at 5-3.
 
After the Falcons went down quietly in the ninth, the Red Devils threaten in the bottom half of the frame. Dickinson put runners on the corners with two away, but a ground ball to second ended it and the Falcons acme away with the 5-3 victory.
 
As mentioned AJ Steindel led Messiah with four hits on the day (4-4, 2B, 3-run HR) including the three run homer. Steindel was the lone Falcon to collect multiple hits on the afternoon. On the mound, Drew Betz picked up his first career win, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.
 
The win improves the Falcons to 3-3 on the season and Messiah will next take the field in their season opener on Thursday afternoon against the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats, game time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.