NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Messiah softball team earned a 3-0 victory over the Hunter Hawks in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Falcons and Hawks were scheduled to play at 2:00 p.m., but after a two-hour rain delay Messiah took the field and made quick work of the Hawks.
In four innings in the circle,
Madison Walter struck out 10 while
Maggie Chinnadurai earned the three-inning save as the duo combined for a shutout.
Messiah's offense jumped on the board quickly with an infield single from
Jaden Keister in the bottom of the first with the bases loaded. Back-to-back doubles in the second gave Messiah a 2-0 lead with Chinnadurai driving home the second run of the day.
Then in the fourth,
Lydia Collison led off the frame with a solo homer to left, bumping the Falcons' lead to 3-0. That would be the final as Messiah's pitching and defense held the CUNY Athletic Conference Champions Hunter scoreless in the opening victory.
Messiah moves on to play the winner of the Christopher Newport and Wilson contest that is being played this evening. That Regional semifinal game will be played Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m., however rain is again in the forecast so stay tuned for any updates to the regional schedule.
How It Happened
Madison Walter was on cruise control from the start, facing 13 batters across four innings and striking out 10 of them. Only three balls were put in play in her three innings of play with Walter allowing just one hit. Messiah backed up her strong outing with three runs, starting with a bases loaded infield single from
Jaden Keister in the bottom of the first. With one out, Messiah loaded the bases with a single from
Hannah Dyer, a fielder's choice and a hit-by-pitch before Keister grounded a ball to third base. The knock brought home Dyer from third.
That proved to be all the Falcons would need in the shutout victory, but Messiah added runs in the second and fourth innings. In the bottom of the second,
Lydia Collison led off the frame with a double to left field and Maggie Chinnaduri followed with a double of her own that chased Collison home.
In the fourth, Collison was in the thick of the action again, starting the stanza with a solo home run to left field after a lengthy at bat. The homer was Collison's second of the season and just Messiah's sixth of the year.
Those insurance runs pushed the Falcons to a 3-0 victory in their first game of the NCAA Tournament.
What's Up Next
Messiah moves on to play the No. 1 Christopher Newport Captains tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. The Captains earned an 8-0 victory over the Wilson Phoenix in the other First-Round game on Friday evening. Christopher Newport owns a 38-1 overall record this season.
