YORK, Pa. – The Messiah baseball team suffered its first two losses of the season on Saturday afternoon, losing both games of a road doubleheader at York College. The Falcons dropped the opening seven-inning game, 16-2, while falling short in Game Two of the doubleheader, 14-7. Between the two contests, senior infielder Derek Freed combined for a total of four RBIs, upping his season total to five, matching the team-high.
 
Game One
Messiah combined to use five different pitchers in the Game One setback. Alex Weakland made the start for the Falcons, and despite giving up four earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched, the sophomore pitcher struck out four batters, totaling five on the season. Messiah's pitchers combined to strike out ten Spartans during the doubleheader opener.
 
Designated hitter Billy Davis had a strong game at the plate, going 2-for-3, scoring one of Messiah's two runs of the game on an RBI single from Freed in the top of the fifth inning. The Falcons' second run of the game came from a solo shot off the bat of Manny Covington in the top of the seventh inning. The dinger was Covington's first collegiate at-bat, marking Messiah's third homerun of the season.
 
The Game One defeat dropped Messiah's record to 1-1 on the season ahead of Game Two of the doubleheader.
 
Game Two
The Spartan's carried their hot bats into the second contest of the doubleheader, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after three frames. The Falcons showed signs of life in the top of the fourth inning as sophomore Kasey Caras drilled his second homerun of the season, a solo shot to right-center field to put Messiah on the board, trailing, 7-1. Freed singled through the left side later in the inning, plating senior outfielder Clayton Roberts to reduce the deficit to five runs (7-2).
 
Lacing his fourth hit of the season, Freed tacked on two more RBIs in the top half of the sixth inning to inch Messiah within three runs of the hosts (9-6). York answered with two runs of its own in the bottom portion of the frame, a two-run shot from Jack Barry to extend the Spartans' lead, 11-6.
 
Davis recorded his third hit of the game and first career homerun in the top of the seventh, hammering a long shot down the left field line to cut into York's lead (11-7). The homerun from the senior catcher was Messiah's final scoring play of the game, as the Spartans put the game away with a three-run bottom half of the inning to clinch the second game of the day, 14-7, completing the doubleheader sweep of the Falcons. Note: Game Two was suspended during the bottom of the eighth inning due to darkness.
 
Freshman pitcher Nathan Stein tossed 1.1 innings of two-hit ball, allowing two unearned runs. Stein recorded his first career strikeout, getting York catcher Brett DeWees to go down swinging to end the third inning.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah (1-2, 0-2) is back in action tomorrow, Mar. 14, when they rematch with the York College Spartans (4-0, 2-0) in a home doubleheader, set to begin at 12:00 p.m.