Annville, PA –
Kyle Schoen had a great day, going 2-5 with a home run and five RBIs, but it wasn't enough as Messiah baseball fell to Lebanon Valley College 11-6 on Monday afternoon. With the win, LVC takes the season series, two games to one.
Besides Schoen's big game, another bright spot was third baseman
Colin Fry, who continued his streak of reaching base in every game this season with a single up the middle. Fry finished the game 3-4, upping his conference-leading batting average to .474.
The Falcons only had one less hit than the Dutchmen, but could not manufacture runs, only getting two hits with runners in scoring position. Pitching experienced trouble early, as
Quinton Kuntz started and only went two innings, giving up five runs on seven hits.
Ethan Hess relieved him in the third, and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on just three hits.
Tyler Mitcheltree did have a great relief outing though, pitching the final three innings and only allowing one hit.
Messiah got on the board first in the top of the first inning, as
Colin Fry,
Adam Janney, and
Kyle Schoen hit back-to-back-to-back singles with two outs. Schoen's scored a pair of runs to put the Falcons up 2-0. However, the lead was short-lived, as LVC scored three in the bottom of the inning, two in the second, and one apiece in the third and fourth to take a 7-2 lead.
The Falcons got three runs back on one swing in the top of the fifth, as Schoen blasted a one-out, three-run homer to left-center to cut the deficit to 7-5. Once again, though, LVC answered right back, tallying four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to increase their lead to 11-5.
Messiah attempted a rally in the top of the eighth, as with one out,
Austin Mellinger walked and
Jimmy Kustra reached on an error to put two on. After a popout by
Josh Hayner,
Kyle Wickenheiser singled to left field, scoring Mellinger, and advanced to second on the throw to the plate. With two in scoring position,
Colin Fry fouled off six pitches before flying out to center to end the threat.
LVC retired the Falcons in order in the top of the ninth, and took the 11-6 victory. Messiah falls to 9-14 overall and 3-9 in the MAC Commonwealth.
The Falcons are right back in action tomorrow as they make the short drive to Penn State-Harrisburg for a nonconference game at 3:45 p.m.
