FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Trailing the Monmouth Scots 6-1 heading into the sixth inning, the Messiah baseball team scored six unanswered runs to earn a 7-6 victory on Thursday afternoon. The Scots scored five first-inning runs to take an early lead. The Falcons hung tough, with Kasey Caras driving home three runs and Clayton Roberts going 4-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Evan Wagaman also drove home two runs for the Falcons.
 
On the mound, Nathan Stein earned the victory after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in relief and JJ Zirkle picked up his first career save after striking out the only two batters he faced with the tying run standing on third in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Messiah moves to 4-0 on their Florida trip and will wrap up their spring break trip on Saturday morning when they take on Wilkes at 9:30 a.m. in Fort Pierce, Fla.
 
How It Happened
The Scots jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of two Messiah errors in the opening frame. Raul Guillermo delivered the big swing in the Monmouth rally driving home two on a double to right center. Only one of those first inning runs was earned as a result of those two errors.
 
Messiah's starter Noah Barrall settled down after a busy first inning on the bases. Barrall ended up tossing five innings allowing just one earned run (six total) while striking out four.
 
Neither the Falcons nor Scots could get on the board in the second, third, or fourth, but an Evan Wagaman single to right field brought home Clayton Roberts to put Messiah on the board at 5-1. Monmouth responded in the bottom of the frame, scoring a run on a passed ball to push their lead back to five at 6-1.
 
Starting in the sixth, Messiah really went to work chipping away at the Scots' lead. The Falcons loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a hit by pitch with one away. A fielder's choice by Evan Wagaman brought Sam Zercher home, but a strike out ended the inning. After Luke Luckenbaugh tossed a scoreless sixth out of the bullpen, Messiah scored twice in the seventh with a sacrifice fly from Kasey Caras and an RBI single from Clayton Roberts.
 
Another zero from Luckenbaugh followed and Messiah once again put two on the board in the eighth to tie the game at 6-6. With two away, Kasey Caras roped a double to left center to drive home Reed Wagner and Evan Wagaman who both singled earlier in the inning.
 
In the ninth, Joshua Ammons walked to lead off the inning and Jason Johnson came on as a pinch runner. A failed pick off put Johnson on third and a Clayton Roberts single scored the go ahead run and gave Messiah a 7-6 lead.
 
Nathan Stein, who had tossed a scoreless eighth, started the ninth with a walk and a strikeout, but allowed a one-out single to put runners on the corners for the Scots. Stein was relieved for JJ Zirkle with the tying run just 90 feet away and the go ahead run on first. Zirkle stuck out the only two batters he faced to give Messiah a thrilling, 7-6 come-from-behind victory and earn the save.
 
What's Up Next
With the win, Messiah moves to 8-5 on the season. The Falcons will conclude their spring break trip on Saturday when they take on the Wilkes Colonels at 9:30 a.m. at the Lawnwood Sports Complex in Fort Pierce, Fla. at 9:30 a.m