GRANTHAM, Pa. - With the game tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and a runner on second, Sam Stewart delivered a single down the left field line to score Kyle Wickenheiser from second to give Messiah a 7-6 victory over the Elizabethtown Blue Jays.
 
Messiah trailed 4-1 after the top of the fourth and after battling back to take a 5-4 lead heading to the seventh, the Falcons trailed once again heading into the bottom of the eighth. Messiah responded with the game-tying run in the eighth before Stewart played hero in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Luke Blasick earned the win for Messiah on the mound after tossing 1.2 shutout innings.
 
The Falcons are back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Lancaster to take on the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats at 3:30 p.m.
 
How It Happened
After both teams were held scoreless in the first and second innings, Messiah struck for a run in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded and one away, Jimmy Kustra hit into a fielder's choice, but beat out the relay throw to first. The fielder's choice gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
 
The Blue Jays got that run back and then some in the top of the fourth with four runs on three hits. Elizabethtown started the inning with a walk and a pair of singles to load the bases with no outs. After a pitching change, a hit by pitch brought the first run of the inning in before a single to left gave the Blue Jays the lead at 2-1. Back-to-back sacrifice flies followed and Elizabethtown took a 4-1 lead.
 
In the fifth, Messiah would tie the game with a three-run frame. Mark Leach delivered a sacrifice fly after Hunter Brindle was hit by a pitch and Ben Wilson laced a double to left center to put two in scoring position. Later in the frame, Messiah took advantage of a throwing error on the Blue Jays' short stop to plate two more runs and tie the game at 4-4.
 
Elizabethtown threatened in the sixth, but Kenny Runkel stranded a runner at third with a looking strikeout to get the Falcons back to the plate. Sam Stewart started the sixth by burning the center fielder with a double. Two batters later, Mark Leach yanked a double inside the bag at third to trade places with Stewart and give Messiah their first lead of the game at 5-4.
 
The Blue Jays scored a single run in both the seventh and eighth innings to take the lead back at 6-5, heading to the bottom of the eighth. Messiah quickly responded with a two-out RBI single up the middle by Jarod Bingaman that scored Josh Hayner from second. Bingaman fell behind in his at bat, but battled back and ripped a ball through the box that tipped off the pitcher's glove before finding its way into center field.
 
After Messiah turned the Blue Jays down in order in the top of the ninth, the stage was set for extra innings or a Falcons' walk off. A leadoff walk by Chris Larose got the rally going and following a fielder's choice and a stolen base, Kyle Wickenheiser stood on second base with one away. After a strikeout, Sam Stewart came to the plate needing a base hit to drive home the winning run. Stewart did just that, pulling a ball down the left-field line to score Wickenheiser and set off a celebration from the Messiah dugout.
 
With the walk-off single, Messiah claimed the 7-6 victory and their second walk-off win of the year. Trent Culver drove home two runs in the bottom of the seventh in Game Two of a doubleheader against Marymount on Mar. 2 for a 3-2 walk-off win.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday when they hit the road for a non-conference game against the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats at 3:30 p.m. in Lancaster, Pa.