FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - The Messiah baseball team picked up their first win of the 2020 season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Mary Washington 5-3 in Game One of a doubleheader. The Falcons dropped the second game of the double-dip by a 6-4 score, moving to 1-3 on the young season.
Jarod Bingaman continued his strong start to the season with four hits in six at bats, driving home a run and knocking a double.
Chris LaRose drove home a pair on an RBI single in the second game.
Messiah will be back in action on Monday when they are scheduled to host their first home game of the season against the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats at 3:00 p.m.
Game One - Messiah defeats Mary Washington - 5-3
Messiah looked like they would strike first in the top of the second inning when they loaded the bases with no outs. Unfortunately, their rally was cut short without a run after a foul out and a pair of strikeouts ended the inning. In the bottom half of the frame, the Eagles found the first run of the game on a single by Jonathan Sed to center field. The single brought home David Lamber, who walked earlier in the inning.
Messiah immediately responded with a run in the top of the third with some small ball.
Trent Culver singled on a bunt to begin the frame before stealing second and advancing to third on a single by
Derek Freed. Messiah then executed a squeeze play, with
Jarod Bingaman dropping down a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher and Culver hustling home from third to tie the game at 1-1.
In the fourth, Messiah scored four runs on two hits, taking advantage of two walks and a hit by pitch in the inning to take a 5-1 lead.
Billy Davis and
Ryan Hentschel collected the two hits in the frame. The Falcons scored a pair of runs on an error by the second baseman, and promptly added another of a balk by Mary Washington. Hentschel's single to left field was the only RBI picked up by Messiah in the inning.
Messiah's lead remained 5-1 into the fifth inning, when the Eagles plated a pair of runs on four-straight hits. After consecutive RBI singles by Norman Holco and Bryce Runey, the Falcons called on
Ben Stewart from the bullpen to prevent any further damage. Stewart got a fly ball to center and a groundout to third to end the inning.
Luke Luckenbaugh tossed the final two innings for the Falcons, pitching two scoreless frames and allowing only one baserunner to lock up the 5-3 victory.
Game Two - Mary Washington defeats Messiah - 6-4
The Mary Washington Eagles scored in four of their six trips to the plate to claim a 6-4 victory over the Falcons in Game Two of the twin-bill. Mary Washington scored two runs on two hits in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead, but the Falcons leveled the score with two runs in the top of the second off of a passed ball and an infield single from
Trent Culver.
In the second, Messiah committed two errors that directly led to a pair of Mary Washington runs to give the Eagles a 4-2 lead. Mary Washington added to their cushion with a run in the fourth on an RBI single by David Lamber.
With the Eagles leading 5-2, Messiah pulled within one after
Chris LaRose knocked a two-out, two-run single to center field, chasing
Jarod Bingaman and
Trent Culver home.
Messiah threatened in the top of the seventh, putting runners on second and third with two away after a single by
Kasey Caras and a double by Bingaman, but a groundout ended in frame, giving the Eagles a 6-4 victory.
What's Up Next
The Falcons will return home to take on the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats on Monday at 3:00 p.m.
