GRANTHAM, Pa. - Behind a pair of stellar pitching performances, the Messiah softball team earned a doubleheader sweep of the visiting Lycoming College Warriors on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons took Game One behind a two-hit shutout from Madison Walter before finishing off the double-dip with a 5-1 victory in Game Two. Brynne Baker earned the victory in the second game, scattering six hits across seven innings.
 
Baker delivered the only RBI in Game One with a two-out double in the third while Paige Eakes went 4-6 on the afternoon with two runs scored and a pair of RBI.
 
Messiah moves to 6-6 on the season and will be back in action on Monday when they travel to Williamsport to take on the Warriors for another doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m.
 
Game One - Messiah defeats Lycoming 1-0
For the second-straight week, Madison Walter dominated her opponents in Game One of a doubleheader at the Starry Softball Field. Walter allowed just two hits while striking out a dozen batters in a complete game shutout. Walter needed just 84 pitchers to collect her 21 outs.
 
The only runner Walter allowed in the first four innings was a two-out hit by pitch in the first inning. Across those opening innings, Walter fanned eight batters including all three she faced in the third inning.
 
Messiah also gave Walter the only run she needed in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Paige Eakes singled to right field and Brynne Baker followed by ripping a double on the very next pitch over the left fielder's head. Eakes raced around from first for the only run of the game.
 
Walter worked around some traffic on the basepaths in the final three frames, stranding a Warrior on the bases in the fifth, sixth, and seventh. In total, Walter allowed just two hits in the game with Lycoming collecting a single in the sixth and anther base hit in the seventh.
 
Messiah earned the 1-0 victory to improve to 5-6 on the season.
 
Game Two - Messiah defeats Lycoming 5-1
The Warriors led off Game Two with a single through the right side and collected their first run of the day just a few batters later with Megan Wetzel doubling to straight-away centerfield to take a 1-0 lead. That would be their only run of the day, as Brynne Baker scattered six hits across seven innings of play.
 
That one run was enough to hold the lead for the first two-plus innings. With one out in the bottom of the third, Messiah collected back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases. After a pop-up to the catcher, Paige Eakes dropped a single down the right-field line to score a pair of runs to put the Falcons in front.
 
Messiah added to their lead with Alexa Burger scoring on a wild pitch in the fifth, making it a 3-1 lead. Two more insurance runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Elena Rosas and Olivia Denmark to get to the final score of 5-1.
 
Messiah and Lycoming will play a second doubleheader on the other side of Eastern with the Falcons traveling to Williamsport on Monday for a twin-bill, beginning at 3:00 p.m.