FORT PIERCE, Fla. - The Messiah baseball team opened their Spring Break trip to Florida with a doubleheader sweep of the Kenyon Lords on Monday afternoon. The Falcons claimed Game One in runaway fashion, claiming an 11-2 victory before earning a 9-5 victory in the nightcap to start their trip with a 2-0 mark. In Game One, Messiah held a slim 3-2 lead heading into the final two frames, but scored four insurance runs in both the sixth and seventh to claim the 11-2 win.
In Game Two, Messiah scored seven times in the first three innings to build a 7-5 lead. Two more runs in the sixth gave the Falcons the 9-5 win while
Kenny Runkel tossed 5.1 innings in relief allowing just two unearned runs.
On the day,
Evan Wagaman drove home six runs while Sam Zecher went 6-7 at the plate and drove home four runs.
The Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday when they take on Penn State Behrend at 11:30 a.m. in Fort Pierce, Fla. at the Lawnwood Sports Complex.
Game One – Messiah defeats Kenyon, 11-2
Playing as the away team, Messiah put the first runs of the game on the board in the top of the second ining thanks to a bunt single from
Thomas Ziegler and
Jarrett Gordon reaching on an error. Both plays plated runs and the Falcons took a 2-0 lead.
In the third, Messiah made it a 3-0 lead when
Reed Wagner scampered home on a wild pitch.
Kenyon cut Messiah's lead to just one with a sacrifice fly in the third and an RBI single in the fifth, but the Falcons responded with eight unanswered runs across their final two trips to the plate to earn the 11-2 victory.
In the sixth,
Joshua Ammons knocked home
Sam Zercher after a leadoff triple and later in the frame,
Evan Wagaman cleared the bases with a three-run single to bump the Falcons' lead to five at 7-2.
After
Josh Monturo tossed a three-up, three-down frame in the sixth, Messiah went back to work with four more runs in the seventh to put the game away. Once again it was
Evan Wagaman with the big blow in the frame, driving home two runs with a bases loaded single.
Monturo turned away the Lords in order in the seventh to complete the seven-inning complete game. He went seven strong frames striking out six and allowing two runs on seven hits.
Game Two – Messiah defeats Kenyon, 9-5
Messiah picked up right where they left off in Game One, scoring six runs in the first two innings of the second game of their doubleheader. Messiah took a 6-3 lead after just two frames.
Evan Wagaman drove home the Falcons' first run of Game Two in the bottom of the first with an infield single and
Thomas Ziegler followed with a two-run single to give Messiah a 3-1 lead.
After scored twice in the second to tie things up at 3-3, Messiah responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 6-3 lead.
Sam Zercher brought home two runs in the inning with a big triple to left center and then
Joshua Ammons followed with a double to bring home Zercher to give Messiah the three-run advantage.
The wild start was not over as the Lords knocked a two-out, two-run double to pull within one at 6-5 in the top of the third.
Jarrett Gordon recorded a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the stanza to push Messiah back out in front by two at 7-5.
That's where things stayed for the next three innings, thanks to a strong outing from
Kenny Runkel, who went 5.1 innings out of the bullpen. Runkel allowed just two unearned runs and four hits while striking out six and earning his second win of the season.
Sam Zercher added some insurance for the Falcons in the sixth with a two-run single to put Messiah up 9-5.
Runkel and the Falcons wrapped up the victory with a strike out, pick off, and ground out to claim the four-run victory.
What's Up Next
The Falcons continue their trip to Florida on Wednesday when they take on Penn State Behrend in a single game at 11:30 a.m. at the Lawnwood Sports Complex.
