READING, Pa. – The No. 6 Messiah baseball team dropped both ends of a MAC Commonwealth Quarterfinal doubleheader on Saturday afternoon to the Alvernia Golden Wolves, falling by scores of 8-4 and 10-7. Kasey Caras highlighted the offensive day for the Falcons, collecting his ninth and 10th home runs of the season, to tie the Messiah program record for round-trippers in a season.
 
After dropping the front-end of the doubleheader 8-4, Messiah needed to win Game Two to force a decisive third game on Sunday to determine who would advance to the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals next weekend. The Falcons fell into an early 10-1 hole, but battled back late. Unfortunately, their late push ran out of steam and the Falcons fell by a 10-7 final, ending their year with an overall record of 12-16-1.
 
Game One - Alvernia defeats Messiah - 8-4
Alvernia began the Quarterfinals clash with two runs in the top of the first inning, taking a 2-0 early lead. Woodie worked himself into a jam in the following inning, loading the bases. Nick Nutile was struck by a wild pitch from Woodie, forcing in a run to increase the Falcons' deficit to 3-0.
 
Messiah cut into its deficit in the top of the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly from Billy Davis, recording his 16th RBI of the season. The Falcons trailed, 3-1, and went on to take a lead in the sixth inning. After holding the hosts scoreless for three-consecutive frames, Messiah used a Clayton Roberts single and a Caras home run to snatch a 4-3 edge. The run-scoring hits came in back-to-back fashion, as the Caras bomb was the Falcons' third-straight hit after Bingaman led off the frame with a triple to right field.
 
Leading Alvernia, 4-3, the Falcons' edge did not last long as the Golden Wolves had a quick answer. The hosts recorded five runs on seven hits in the bottom half of the inning to reclaim the lead, 8-4. No more runs crossed the plate in Game One as Alvernia held on to claim the doubleheader opener, 8-4.
 
Nathan Stein recorded three solid innings in relief to close the game out for Messiah, allowing just one run on four hits, striking out two batters. Mike Cirilli tossed two scoreless innings in relief for Alvernia, striking out three batters.
 
In the Game One loss, eight different Messiah batters hit safely. Caras launched his team-leading ninth home run of the season, ranked third in the conference. Roberts recorded his eighth multi-hit game of the season with two hits while the senior outfielder, along with Caras and Davis, provided run-scoring knocks.
 
Messiah drops its overall record to 12-15 as they fight to keep its season alive in Game Two of the MAC Commonwealth Quarterfinals against Alvernia.
 
Game Two - Alvernia defeats Messiah - 10-7
The Golden Wolves jumped all over the Falcons in the opening innings of Game Two, scoring two runs in the first, six in the second, and one in both the third and fourth innings to open up a 10-1 lead through four. Messiah did put one run on the board in the bottom of the third, scoring off a throwing error.
 
While both sides remained quiet for the fifth and sixth, Messiah started a rally in the seventh. The Falcons put runners on the corners with no outs in the frame with a lead-off double by Jarod Bingaman and a bunt single from Clayton Roberts. After a strikeout and a stolen base, the Falcons had two in scoring position for Trent Culver who singled to right field, driving home two and cutting the Alvernia lead to 10-3.
 
Messiah then but five on the board with three-straight singles and a two-run homer from Kasey Caras. Jason Johnson, Bingaman, and Roberts started the inning with consecutive singles. Roberts single drove home Johnson and Bingaman would come around on a wild pitch moments later. The two runs cut the lead down to five, but Messiah was not done yet.
 
Kasey Caras, who had homered earlier in the day for his ninth of the season, deposited his single-season program-record tying 10th home run of the year over the left field wall. The opposite field blast drove home Roberts as well and the Falcons trimmed the lead to just three at 10-7.
 
That was where the rally would end as a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a walk ending the eight.
 
Alvernia looked for insurance in the eighth, loading the bases with one away, but Josh Monturo and the Falcons wiggled out of the jam with a strikeout and a fly ball ending the frame.
 
Needing three runs to extend their season, Messiah went down in order in the top of the ninth, wrapping up the 2021 season with an overall record of 12-16-1. The Falcons finished the year as the sixth seed in the MAC Tournament, ending the year with a conference mark of 10-13-1.