GLENSIDE, Pa. - After Messiah baseball was held to just three hits in a 6-0 game one loss to Arcadia University on Sunday afternoon, three Knight errors led to four Falcon runs in the top of the sixth of game two as Messiah came from behind to win by a final score of 4-2.
Sunday's games had been rescheduled from earlier in the season twice previously due to rain and snow, but the weather cooperated very well this time as it was sunny and highs into the upper 60s while the Falcons and Knights battled it out. Arcadia won the single game played in Grantham back on Mar. 29 by a score of 8-7, so with the split of the doubleheader today the Knights took the season series from the Falcons 2-1.
After today, Messiah stands tied for fifth-place in the MAC Commonwealth standings with Stevenson, whom the Falcons hold the tiebreaker over thanks to a 2-1 series victory over the Mustangs. However, with three conference games remaining on the 2018 regular season slate, Messiah is still two games back of fourth-place Widener, with the top four teams earning berths to the MAC Commonwealth Championship. Widener holds the tiebreaker over Messiah due to taking the season series 2-1, so the Falcons will need to sweep last-place Albright and have third-place Hood sweep Widener in order to get back to the postseason after missing out in 2017.
Those three games with the Lions will take place this upcoming Friday and Saturday, with the first game in Reading set for 3:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by the doubleheader in Grantham on Saturday beginning at noon.
Game One
Arcadia starter Jake Lloyd twirled a gem for the Knights in the opener, pitching a complete-game, three-hit shutout while walking one and striking out six.
Ethan Hess got the start on the mound for the Falcons and also threw a complete game, allowing six runs (four earned) on ten hits while walking one and striking out three.
Lloyd stymied Messiah all game from an offensive standpoint, as the Falcons were set down in order in four of the seven innings and were not able to get a runner to reach second base until the seventh inning. In that seventh and final frame,
Colin Fry walked with one out and then advanced to second on
Dan Wiederrecht's second hit of the day. With two outs, Messiah loaded the bases as
Trey Pritchard reached on an error by the third baseman, but
Austin Mellinger popped out to third to end the game.
Arcadia pushed across one run in the second, three in the fourth, and one each in the sixth and seventh innings that would prove to be plenty of insurance as the Knights took the 6-0 victory.
Game Two
Messiah's bats showed signs of life in game two, as they equaled the Knights in the hit department with seven apiece. Despite that, the Falcons were held scoreless over the first five innings. They had great chances to score in the first and second frames, as
Trent Culver led the game off with a triple but was later caught in an attempt to steal home, and a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity was squandered in the second when
Kyle Wickenheiser grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Arcadia scored one run in the bottom of the first off of Messiah starter
Zach Luman on a Phil Pierfy RBI double, but Luman was able to settle down and work two scoreless frames before giving way to
Chase Peiffer in the fourth. Peiffer also shut the Knights down for an inning before Culver entered to pitch in the bottom of the fifth. After retiring the first two batters, Culver surrendered a solo homer to Nick Cardace on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to double Arcadia's lead to 2-0.
However, luck would finally be on Messiah's side in the top of the sixth.
Colin Fry and
Josh Hayner notched back-to-back singles to open the inning to put runners on first and third with no outs.
Kyle Schoen stepped to the plate and hit a grounder to third that was botched, allowing Fry to score and both Hayner and Schoen to advance safely.
Dan Wiederrecht then hit into a fielder's choice that moved Hayner to third, and followed with a steal of second to put two in scoring position for
Austin Mellinger with just one out in the inning.
Mellinger also reached base safely on an error and both Hayner and Wiederrecht were able to score after the throw to first sailed wide. That error also allowed Mellinger to reach second base, and he promptly advanced to third on a passed ball and then scored as the catcher tried to throw him out and third and sent the ball into left field. In total, the Falcons tallied four runs (all unearned) on three errors in the inning by the Knights.
Culver was able to hold the Knights down in the sixth and seventh innings to earn the first win of his collegiate career and give Messiah the 4-2 victory and keep the Falcons' postseason hopes alive.
