Grantham, PA - The No. 16 Messiah softball team used tremendous pitching to pick up a pair of victories over the Stevenson Mustangs on Saturday afternoon. Courtney Allen was in the circle for Game One and pitched a complete game shutout to lead the Falcons to a 1-0 victory. Allen also drove home the only run in the game with a single up the middle in the third inning.
 
In Game Two it was Madelyn Yannetti who delivered the strong pitching performance. Yannetti went the distance in a mercy-rule shortened game (5 innings) and the Falcons picked up the 8-0 victory. At the dish Yannetti also went 2-2 with a pair of RBI and also scored a run.
 
Game One: Messiah 1, Stevenson 0
 
As mentioned, pitching was the story of Game One. Messiah's Courtney Allen and her perfect, 16-0 record squared off with Stevenson's Jasmyn Ogletree. 
 
The two aces hung a pair of zeros on the scoreboard in the first. With two on and one-out, Messiah had the first opportunity to dent the scoreboard, but a double play ended the first inning without and damage.
 
In the second, Allen allowed a single to left field and a double to the gap in right-center to put two in scoring position. A pop-out and a strikeout sat the next two batters down before a walk loaded the bases with two away. On a 1-2 pitch, Allen got the final out of the inning on an innocent pop-up to second.
 
The game remained scoreless into the third. Carrie Fix started a modest rally for the Falcons with a one-out single up the middle, before advancing to second on a passed ball. Fix moved to third on a ground out to second. With two away, Courtney Allen helped her own cause with a single to the left-side of second base that drove home Fix and gave Messiah the 1-0 lead.
 
The one run was all Allen would need as she and the Falcons' defense put four more zeros on the board to pull off the 1-0 victory. Allen worked around a pair of base runners in the fourth and one more in the sixth to complete her 14th game of the season. The win was Allen's 17th of the season to go along with five shutouts.
 
Game Two: Messiah 8, Stevenson 0
 
 In Game Two the Falcons had stellar pitch just as they did in Game One, however the bats came alive as well. Messiah scored runs in each of their four trips to the plate en route to an 8-0 victory over Stevenson.
 
In the first the Falcons got on the board with a two-out single to left by Amanda Jones. The base hit allowed Brooke Pompeo to score and after the leftfielder mishandled the ball Allen came around to make the score 2-0 and Jones ended up on second.
 
After a quiet top half of the second, Messiah came right back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. The Falcons wore out the right centerfield gap with a pair of extra base hits to the ally. With two outs, Carrie Fix brought home Yannetti with a double to right center and Brooke Pompeo chased home Fix with a triple to the gap. A strikeout ended the frame, but Messiah held a 4-0 lead heading to the third.
 
In the circle Yannetti turned the Mustangs away in order in the third before the Falcons tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Yannetti helped her own cause with a two run single up the middle before Fix singled through the right side to score another run.
 
Leading 7-0 the Falcons scored their eighth and final run in the fourth when Cressman doubled home Courtney Allen.
 
Yannetti completed the game with a scoreless fifth and Messiah claimed an 8-0 victory over the Mustangs.
 
Messiah will next be in action on Tuesday when they travel to Elizabethtown to face the Blue Jays in a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m.