RADNOR, Pa. - On Feb. 12, the Messiah baseball team began the 2022 season, splitting a doubleheader with the Cabrini Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons dropped the season opener by a 9-5 final, but rallied to win the second game of the twin-bill by a 14-6 final score. The Falcons plated eight first inning runs in Game Two to propel them to the big victory.
Across the two games, nine different Falcons collected multiple hits with
Evan Wagaman blasting a solo home run in his first career game and driving home three runs on the day.
Kasey Caras picked up right where he left off in the 2021 season, notching three hits, including a three-run triple, and driving home five runs in the doubleheader.
As a team, the Falcons collected 21 hits on the day, with eight of those knocks going for extra bases.
Messiah will be back on the diamond next weekend when they travel to Methodist University for games against Methodist (Feb. 18), Washington College (Feb. 19), and Arcadia (Feb. 19).
Game One - Cabrini defeats Messiah 9-5
Despite Messiah threatening for early runs in Game One of their doubleheader, stranding two in scoring position in the first, it was Cabrini that got on the board first with three unearned runs in the bottom of the third.
Messiah responded with an
Evan Wagaman solo homer in the top of the fourth to pull the Falcons within two at 3-1. The homer came in Wagaman's second career at bat.
Cabrini got the run right back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI groundout. After a scoreless fifth, Messiah tied the game with three-straight RBI hits from Mason Valentinio,
Reed Wagner, and
Kasey Caras. Valentino and Wagner registered singles while Caras delivered the game-tying run with a double to left field. Messiah left two in scoring position as a ground out ended the frame.
The first five Caviler hitters reached in the bottom of the six en route to a five-run frame for Cabrini. A pair of two-run singles did the bulk of the damage for the Cavaliers. Messiah plated just one run in the top of the seventh and fell by a 9-5 final, despite their late rally.
Game Two - Messiah defeats Cabrini 14-6
The Falcons wasted little time in Game Two getting on the board, taking a commanding 8-0 lead before their starting pitcher,
Christian Woodie, even walked to the mound. Messiah took advantage of three hit-by-pitches and a walk, while providing five hits of their own in the top of the first inning to open up their large lead. Run-scoring singles from
Mason Valentino and
Jarrett Gordon help set the stage for the biggest hit of the inning, a three-run, bases-clearing trip down the right field line for
Kasey Caras. The three-bagger capped off the explosive inning with Messiah firmly in the driver's seat.
Cabrini chipped away at the lead with two runs in the first and two more in the third, but Messiah got all four of those runs back in the top of the fourth with Caras, Roberts, Valentino, and
Ryan Friend all driving home runs.
After the four-run fourth, Messiah held a 12-4 lead.
Cabrini scored two more in the sixth, but Messiah responded with a pair of insurance runs from two bases-loaded walks in the seventh to earn the 14-6 victory.
The victory, marks the first of head coach
Phill Shallenberger in a Messiah uniform.
What's Up Next
Messiah will travel south for their next stretch of games, heading to Fayetteville, N.C. to take on Methodist University on Friday, Feb. 18. A split doubleheader against Washington College and Arcadia will follow of Saturday, Feb. 19.
