CHESTER, Pa. - The Messiah baseball team earned a dominating 16-6 victory in the first game of a doubleheader at Widener on Saturday afternoon. Messiah was just three outs away from a doubleheader sweep in Game Two, when they held a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. Widener rallied for a run before knocking a three-run walk-off homer to claim the 4-2 victory.
The Pride won the series 2-1 and the Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon when they host the Shenandoah Hornets at 3:30 p.m. for a non-conference game.
Game One - Messiah defeats Widener 16-6
Messiah got on the board first, scoring a pair of runs on the first collegiate home run of
Jarod Bingaman's career. With no outs in the first, Bingaman lifted a homer to left center to plate
Trent Culver for the 2-0 lead.
Three extra-base hits for Widener, including back-to-back two-out doubles, in the bottom of the first tied the game at 2-2. Culver broke the tie with a sacrifice fly in the third before Messiah exploded for eight runs in the third. Hits from
Chris LaRose (two-run single), Bingaman (two-run single), and
Ryan Hentschel (three-run double) did the majority of the damage in the inning and Messiah held an 11-2 lead after scoring eight runs on six hits in the inning.
Widener hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, but the Falcons responded with a
Sam Stewart grand slam in the top of the fifth to add some insurance for Messiah. Like Bingaman's two-run shot in the first, Stewart left the yard to left center, giving the Falcons a 15-3 lead.
After Widener hit a three-run home run in the sixth,
Josh Hayner capped off the scoring with a solo homer to left center on the first pitch he saw in the seventh. The big fly gave Messiah the 16-6 victory.
Seven different Falcons collected multiple hits in the Game One victory with Bingaman and Stewart each driving home a team-high four runs in the win.
Game Two - Widener defeats Messiah 4-2
The rubber match between Messiah and Widener was a low scoring affair through the first six and a half innings. The Falcons scratched across single runs in both the fourth and fifth to take a 2-0 lead into the final half inning, but the Pride scored four runs, including a three-run walk-off home run from center fielder Nick D'Alessandro with one away.
Messiah had plenty of chances to get on the board throughout the early innings, leaving a small army of runners on the pads in Game Two. The big hit eluded the Falcons, as Messiah left a total of 12 runners on the bases in the first six innings, including the bases loaded in the fifth.
The Falcons were able to take a 2-0 lead thanks to an infield single from
Jimmy Kustra in the fourth and a fielding error in the fifth. After stranding two in the top of the sixth, Messiah was unable to pad their lead and the Falcons took the 2-0 advantage into the seventh.
That lead looked like it was going to be enough after the first Widener batter in the seventh popped up in the infield, but back-to-back singles and a fielder's choice allowed a run to score and cut the lead in half at 2-1. A wild pitch put the tying run just 90 feet away and the winning run at second base with just one out. On a 3-0 pitch, Nick D'Alessandro played hero for the Pride with a three-run walk-off homer over the left field fence.
The game-winning homer gave Widener the 4-2 victory and earned the Pride the series win.
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Shenandoah Hornets at 3:30 p.m. in a non-conference game.
