Grantham, PA – Messiah baseball and Susquehanna University engaged in a slugfest on Tuesday afternoon, but the River Hawks scored runs in each of the first five innings on their way to a 14-12 win. Messiah scored the last five runs of the game, but the rally was not enough to complete the comeback as the game finished just before sunset.
The Falcons were not without offense, as they had 17 hits, six doubles, and two home runs on the day.
Kyle Wickenheiser was 3-6 with four RBIs and a homer, and
Ben Wilson had two ringing doubles that each scored a run for the Falcons.
Adam Janney came in as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning, and was 2-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
Hunter Brindle also launched his first career home run to right center in the second inning.
Tyler Mitcheltree started for Messiah, going three innings and giving up six runs on nine hits with two strikeouts.
Chase Peiffer pitched well in relief, going 2 1/3 innings with no runs and just one hit.
Drew Betz and
Jordan Nichols also pitched scoreless innings in relief, the eighth and ninth, respectively.
Susquehanna put two runs on the board in the top of the first, and then Messiah could not tally in the bottom of the inning. After that scoreless inning, the Falcons and River Hawks scored in seven consecutive half-innings. The River Hawks put up one in the top of the second to go up 3-0, before Brindle got the Falcons on the board with the deep shot to right center.
After Susquehanna put three more up in the top of the third to go up 6-1, the Falcon bats came alive in the bottom of the inning.
Ryan Adamus got on base with a double, and then with two outs, the rally began.
Kyle Schoen walked, and then
Ben Wilson hit a screaming line drive off the fence in left-center to score Adamus. Brindle was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and then Wickenheiser roped a double down the left field line to score two runs and cut the deficit to 6-4.
Jon Mullin and JJ Robinson followed with consecutive RBI singles to tie the game at six before the inning was over.
However, the River Hawks tacked on four more runs in the top of the fourth to take a 10-6 lead.
Ben Wilson lasered another double to the fence in dead center field to score Schoen all the way from first in the bottom of the inning, making the score 10-7. Susquehanna continued their offensive display in the top of the fifth, scoring four more runs to take a seven-run lead.
Schoen added an RBI single in the sixth to make it 14-8.
Colin Fry led off the bottom of the eighth with a ringing double off the fence in right-center, increasing his on-base streak to 34 games. After two quick outs,
Adam Janney singled up the middle to score Fry. On a 2-0 pitch,
Kyle Wickenheiser then launched a two-run bomb to right-center to cut the deficit to 14-11.
With a comeback in mind in the bottom of the ninth, Schoen doubled home a run for his team-leading 22nd RBI of the season.
Adam Janney then walked to bring the winning run to the plate in
Kyle Wickenheiser. However, Wickenheiser struck out swinging, and the River Hawks won by a final score of 14-12.
Messiah falls to 10-18 on the year. They turn around and play another home nonconference game tomorrow against Elizabethtown College at 4:00 p.m.
