READING, Pa. – The Messiah softball team swept the Alvernia Golden Wolves Saturday afternoon on the road to advance to their 15th conference championship in program history.

They beat Alvernia 2-0 in game one before taking the nightcap from the Golden Wolves 5-2. This gives Messiah a 16-10 record heading into the Championship series.

The Falcons were led by Elena Rosas and Elianna Litwin in game one, who provided the RBI for the Falcons in the 2-0 win.

In game two, Elena Rosas hit a pair of two-run home runs to give her four RBI in the game. This gives Rosas five home runs and was her second multi-homer game this season. McKenzie Shannon provided the other RBI for Messiah in the form of her third homerun of the season.

Messiah will take on the York College Spartans in the Championship series next week.

Game One - Messiah Defeats Alvernia 2-0

Heads Up Base Running
After Isabel Seise doubled to start the top of the second inning, she found herself on third base thanks to an Elianna Litwin single to put runners on the corners. Litwin then stole second base to put runners at second and third. Elena Rosas put down a beautiful bunt down the first base line, where the first basemen took the out at first. However, when the ball was thrown to first, Seise broke for the plate and beat the throw to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

Two Out Rally
The top of the fourth started with two Falcons outs, but then Brynne Baker singled to give Messiah a chance in the inning. The Falcons didn't miss their opportunity as Litwin roped a double to left field which allowed Baker to score from first to bump Messiah's lead to 2-0.
 
Great Performance in the Circle
Madison Walter continued to shine for the Falcons in the circle. After a great weekend in the quarterfinals against Eastern, Walter was back at it against the Golden Wolves. She threw a complete game, one-hit shutout against Alvernia, striking out 11 batters in the process.

Game Two – Messiah Defeats Alvernia 5-2

Alvernia Grabs Early Lead
The Golden Wolves wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in game two after being shut out in game one. They had a leadoff hit before a stolen base put Sarah Reinert at second. An error put runners on first and third before another stolen base put two runners in scoring position at second and third with nobody out. Riley Shields then doubled to left center field to make it 2-0 Alvernia.

Brynne Baker was able to limit the damage however and send it to the top of the second with a 2-0 deficit.

Rosas Ties It Up
After both pitchers found their groove in the game, Elena Rosas came up to the plate in the top of the fourth inning.

Messiah had a runner on third with two outs after Isabel Seise walked to start the inning. She was then sacrificed over to second before a wild pitch put her at third with two outs.

Rosas, who had three home runs coming into the game then deposited a ball over the left field wall to tie the game up at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning.

Pulling Away
After tying it up in the top of the fourth inning, Messiah wasted no time taking the lead. With one out in the top of the fifth, McKenzie Shannon hit her third homerun of the season to give Messiah a 3-2 lead.

Messiah continued to play long ball in the top of the sixth inning as Elena Rosas hit her second homerun of the game, a two-run blast to center field to give the Falcons a 5-2 lead.

Despite a late Alvernia rally in the bottom of the seventh, bringing the tying run up to the plate with two runners on, the Falcons would hold on for the 5-2 win to clinch the series.

What's Up Next
After the sweep, Messiah will head to York College next Saturday to take on the Spartans in the MAC Commonwealth Championship series. If they split the doubleheader, the Falcons will host a winner take all game three with a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.