Kissimmee, FL – The Falcons (7-1) came away with a split decision Friday morning, beating Thomas More College 6-5 then falling to Coe College 6-2 in extra innings.
 
Messiah 6, Thomas More 5
The Falcons took an early lead against Thomas More (6-3) then had to fend off a late surge from the Saints to claim the one-run win.
 
Messiah took control in their very first at-bats, posting four runs on four hits.
 
Brooke Pompeo's one-out single made her the game's first base runner then moved onto second when Courtney Allen sacrificed herself in the next at-bat. Becky Notte then drove Pompeo in with a single, giving the Falcons the 1-0 lead. Amanda Jones added a single of her own to put two on with two outs, setting Erin Cressman up for another bases-clearing homerun. Cressman drove the ball out of the park, giving Messiah the 4-0 advantage.

Pompeo, Allen, and Jones connected once again in the third to bring in another tally for the Falcons. This time Pompeo singled and was followed by another sacrifice from Allen, allowing Pompeo to make her way to second. Jones followed suit with another single and the RBI.
 
The Saints chipped away at their 5-0 deficit in the bottom of the frame, posting a single run on two hits and a walk.
 
The Falcons responded in the top of the fifth, matching the single run with Jones picking up another RBI. The lone run came on two hits and two errors, bringing the Falcons' lead back to five runs at 6-1.
 
The Saints' breakout inning came in the bottom of the fifth when they began to connect with the Falcons' starter, Courtney Allen. Allen had held the Saints to just three hits through four innings, but her dominance began to wane. The Saints strung together four hits and drew a walk to score three runs, forcing the Falcons to make a pitching change.

With the bases loaded and just one out, Madelyn Yannetti replaced Allen on the mound. Yannetti put forth a strong showing, giving up two runs on two singles before striking out the final two outs to end the inning. When the dust had settled, the Saints left three one base and the Falcons' got out of a tight squeeze to hold a slight 6-5 lead.
 
The lead would stand through the final two innings of play as neither team was able to muster much offense. In fact both teams were hitless in the last two frames.
 
Yannetti picked up her first save of the season and her collegiate career with the 6-5 decision. Allen took the win and moves to 5-0 on the year.

Offensively, Notte (1), Jones (2), and Cressman (3) picked up RBI and combined to go 5-for-9 for the Falcons.

Coe 6, Messiah 2 (8 innings)
In the second game, the Falcons were the first to strike yet again, posting a single run in the bottom of the first.
 
The Kohawks (12-2) responded in the top of the third when the meat of their lineup strung together three singles to bring in the equalizer.
 
The scoreboard remained unchanged through the remaining 4.5 innings, requiring an extra inning to determine the victor.
 
Both teams had their changes to score before the added frame, however, but neither team was able to get it done.
 
The Kohawks best opportunity came when they found themselves with a one-out, first-and-third situation in the top of the fifth, forcing Messiah to pull starter Carrie Fix and replace her with Yannetti. Fortunately for the Falcons, Yannetti fulfilled her role with perfection, retiring the final two batters with ease.

The Falcons' and two first-and-third situations in both the fifth and the sixth, but were unable to convert when it mattered most.

The eighth inning, proved lethal for the Falcons as the Saints scored five runs on three hits and a very costly throwing error that resulted in two runs crossing the plate.
 
The Falcons battled to the very end, posting a single run in the bottom of the frame. The sole run wasn't enough, though, as the Saints walked away with the 6-2 win.
 
Yannetti (0-1) was charged with the loss. In 3.2 innings of work, she gave up five runs on four hits. None of those runs were earned since they were scored during the international tiebreaker where a runner is placed on second to begin the inning.
 
It was a slow offensive game for the Falcons as they were held to just four hits, matching their lowest output of the season. Pompeo (2), Allen (1), and Notte (1) contributed to the productivity. The Falcons were also limited to four hits against Methodist University to kick off the season.

The Falcons will need to rebound quickly as they are scheduled to face another day of tough competition tomorrow. They will take on Rowan University at 11:15 a.m. and then closeout their Spring Break games with Ramapo College at 1:30 p.m.