Grantham, PA – The Messiah baseball team split a twin bill on Saturday afternoon with the Widener Pride. The Pride took Game One by a 5-3 final before the Falcons' bats exploded for six runs in the first and second innings to take Game Two 7-1.
 
Game One: Widener 5, Messiah 3
The Pride jumped on the Falcons early in Game One. While they only recorded four hits in the game, they made the most of their opportunities, especially early in the contest. In the first inning, Messiah starter Zach Luman hit the first batter he faced on the seventh pitch of the at bat. A sacrifice bunt and a groundout later, the Pride had a runner on third. A second hit batsmen put runners on the corners before the only Wider hit of the inning, a Stephen DeBellis triple down the right field line brought home the two runners. DeBellis scored on the play when the ball was mishandled by Messiah's right field Josh Good.
 
The Pride scored another run in the second on just one hit when Michael Elfreth singled up the middle.
 
The Falcons had opprotunities in the early innings, but failed to cash in with the big hit. The Falcons left two runners on in the first and a single runner in both the second and third.
 
In the fourth another hit by pitch plagued Luman. A leadoff hit batsman came around to score on another single up the middle by Elfreth.
 
Now trailed 5-0 heading into the later innings, Messiah started to mount a comeback in the fifth. With one away Adrew Eyster started the hit parade with a double down the leftfield line. Ben Sollenberger and Adam Janney both followed with singles up the middle before Joseph Saufley smacked a double to straight away center. The Falcons scored on Janney's and Saufley's knocks and then Janney scored on a passed ball while Josh Good was batting to bring the Falcons to within two at 5-3. A lineout to second ended the frame with a runner stranded on third.
 
Messiah could not complete the comeback as they stranded three runners over the final two frames and dropped Game One 5-3.
 
Game Two: Messiah 7, Widener 1
Messiah started off Game Two hammering the baseball. The Falcons connected for seven hits in the first two frames, with nearly every ball put in play hit hard. Ben Sollenberger started with a double down the leftfield line on the first pitch of the bottom of the first. Adam Janney then started a perfect 4-4 effort at the plate in Game Two with a line-drive single to left. After a rundown between third and home, Messiah had runners on second and third with one away. Colin Fry delivered a single to center that scored Janney from third but aggressive base running by the Falcons got Saufley thrown out at home for the second out. A fly out to right ended the frame with Messiah leading 1-0.
 
The Falcons would quickly add to their lead in the second. Messiah picked up five runs on four hits in the second. Messiah picked up a pair of runs on productive outs by Josh Hayner and Andrew Eyster before Adam Janney doubled to the left-center gap scoring Sollenberger from second. Janney then came home on a Joseph Saufley homer to center.
 
The jack was Saufley's ninth of the season and he now sits just one homer shy of the single-season Messiah record of 10, set by Craig Mease in 2008.
 
With Messiah now leading 6-0 it was the pitching staff's game to lose. Steven Ridings started on the mound and worked 4.2 innings. He struck out five and scattered six hits. Adam Marshall pitched the final batter of the fifth, inducing a fly out to center before Jordan Nichols and Tyler Moody each pitched an inning of relief.
 
The only Pride run that scored was an unearned run in the seventh.
 
Messiah added their final run in the fourth inning on a two-out RBI single by Janney to right-center.
 
Ridings earned the win to improve to 6-4 on the season. With 4.2 shutout innings, Ridings dropped his season-ERA under 2.00. It now sits at 1.94
 
As mentioned, Adam Janney led the Falcons with a 6-8 effort at the dish with two doubles, three runs batted in and three runs. Joseph Saufley continued his hot hitting ways with a two-run homer in the second inning of Game Two to centerfield.
 
Messiah will next take the field on Tuesday when they host Wilkes University in a single game on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
 
On Wednesday the Falcons will begin their quest for a MAC Commonwealth title when they face the Widener Pride at 7:00 p.m. at PEOPLEsBank Park in York, Pa. Messiah will enter the game as the No. 3 seed while the Pride sit as the No. 2-seeded team.