YORK, Pa. – The Messiah softball team earned a Game One win over York College (Pa.) on the road Saturday afternoon, topping the Spartans, 3-0, behind a one-hit shutout from
Madison Walter. The senior pitcher tossed all seven innings to earn her tenth win of the season, striking five batters while
Alexa Burger went 3-for-3 at the dish, collecting two RBIs.
The Falcons faltered in Game Two, falling by a 5-4 final. The Falcons rallied with two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4, but York scored in the bottom of the frame to split the doubleheader.
With the doubleheader split, the Falcons move to 21-11 on the season and 9-3 in the MAC Commonwealth. Messiah enters the final week of the regular season with doubleheaders against Hood, Gettysburg, and Alvernia remaining. Messiah will host Hood on Wednesday beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Game One – Messiah defeats York, 3-0
The Falcons got on the board early in the opening contest, plating a run in the top of the first inning behind two hits. Burger led off the game with an infield single, advancing to second on the following at-bat from a sacrifice bunt from
Hannah Dyer.
McKenzie Shannon supplied the run-scoring knock, scoring Burger on a bunt single. Walter retired the side in the bottom half of the frame as the Falcons led after one inning, 1-0.
Burger recorded her second hit of the game in the top of the third inning, a one-out double to left field. The Falcons were unable to push the sophomore infielder across the plate as Dyer and Shannon each recorded strikeouts to end the danger.
Walter continued to cruise in the circle, retiring the first 10 York batters before an infield single gave the Spartans their first baserunner in the bottom of the fourth inning. The runner advanced to second base on a stolen base, but Walter navigated the threat by issuing her fourth strikeout of the game to end the inning.
The Falcons scored two insurance runs in the top of the fifth inning from the hot bat of Burger. Burger laced her third hit of the game, a triple to center field to plate both
Sarah Lippin and
Elianna Litwin, increasing the Messiah advantage to 3-0.
With a controlling three-run lead, Walter navigated the next three frames to shut the door on the Spartans. Walter allowed just two baserunners over the seven innings, allowing a hit in the fourth inning and walking a batter in the seventh.
The senior pitcher recorded her 14th complete game of the season. Burger led the way offensively as Shannon, Litwin, and Lippin all hit safely for the Falcons.
Game Two - York defeats Messiah, 5-4
Messiah jumped out to an early lead in Game Two, thanks to an RBI triple from
Hannah Dyer in the top of the third.
Olivia Denmark followed with a single that drove home Dyer and Messiah took a 2-0 lead.
York scored in the bottom of the frame on an RBI to cut Messiah's lead in half, but the Falcons remained in the lead until the bottom of the sixth. After York's Hannah Voght held the Falcons scoreless in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, the Spartans got to work, scoring three runs and taking a 4-2 lead.
Messiah countered with two runs of their own in the top of the seventh, scoring on an infield single from
Alexa Burger with one out and an
Elianna Litwin ground out. The Falcons were unable to take the lead, stranding the would-be go ahead runner on third.
In the seventh, Messiah allowed a leadoff single, but got the next two outs on a pop up and fielder's choice. However, the Spartans knocked back-to-back hits from Emma Keller and Hannah Vogt. Voght's single through the left side drove home the winning run and the Falcons suffered a tough, 5-4 loss.
What's Up Next
As mentioned, the Falcons have three doubleheaders on the schedule this week as Messiah wraps-up the regular season with twin-bills against Hood (Wednesday), Gettysburg (Thursday), and Alvernia (Saturday). The Hood and Gettysburg double-dips are both in Grantham, while the two games against Alvernia will be played in Reading, Pa.
