CHESTER, Pa. – In a back-and-forth battle, the Messiah baseball team was on the wrong side of a 12-6 decision against the Widener Pride in the MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game on Tuesday afternoon. The Falcons held a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Pride scored seven unanswered runs to earn the 12-6 victory and a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals against Lebanon Valley this weekend.
 
Earlier in the game, the Falcons took an early 5-1 lead thanks in large part to a three-run homer from Sam Zercher in the top of the third. Widener battled back to tie things up at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth, but Joshua Ammons picked up a sacrifice fly in the seventh to score Kasey Caras and give Messiah the lead back at 6-5.
 
From there, the Pride scored seven times in the bottom of the eighth, needing just three hits to post the crooked number. Messiah issued four walks and hit a batter to set the table for a handful of big hits later in the inning.
 
With the loss, Messiah sees their season come to a close with an overall record of 20-20, their most wins in a single season since their earned 24 victories during the 2016 season while going 24-20.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons were first on the board with an RBI single from Clayton Roberts through the left-side of the infield to a quick 1-0 lead. Roberts' single scored Sam Zercher, who led off the frame with a single. Zercher was sacrificed to second and was in motion when Roberts knocked his single.
 
In the bottom of the frame, Widener tied things up with a double a groundout and an infield single. Messiah quickly took the lead back after Reed Wagner dropped a ball right on the left-field foul line and hustled into second base with a double. Dustin Isanogle then walked and two batters later Sam Zercher launched a three-run home run over Widener's monster wall in left field for a 4-1 Messiah lead.
 
In the fifth, Roberts drove home his second run of the game with and Messiah built a 5-1 lead.
 
Widener quickly got back into the game with a two-run homer from Matt Samson and an RBI single from Anthony Boccio to close Messiah's lead to just one at 5-4.
 
Then in the sixth, Widener tied the game at 5-5 on a run-scoring error.
 
Messiah responded by manufacturing a run in the seventh to take the lead back at 6-5. Kasey Caras led off the frame with a double to left field and moved to third on a ground out. Joshua ammons then lifted a fly ball to right field and Caras bolted home with the go-ahead run.
 
After a three-up, three-down bottom of the inning, Messiah held a 6-5 lead heading to the eighth inning. Evan Wagaman walked to lead off the frame, but the insurance run was stranded a third with a strikeout and a ground out ending the frame with Wagaman just 90 feet from home plate.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Widener exploded for seven runs on three hits. The Pride loaded the bases with no outs, on a pair of walks and a hit by pitch. A pinch hit double from A Yates brought home the tying and go ahead runs and after an intentional walk, Messiah picked up back-to-back strikeouts from Christian Woodie. With two outs, a walk forced in a third run and back-to-back two-out single drove home four insurance runs to give Widener a 12-6 lead heading to the ninth.
 
In the final stanza, Messiah put a pair of runners on, but were unable to chip away at the lead. The Falcons eventually fell by that 12-6 final.
 
Messiah outhit the Pride in the game, 9-8 with both Kasey Caras and Sam Zercher going 2-5 in the game with a pair of runs scored. Zercher delivered the big blow early in the game with the three-run homer.
 
On the mound, both JJ Zirkle and Kenny Runkel were extremely effective at times for Messiah against the best offense in the conference. The two combined for seven innings allowing six runs (three earned) while striking out three.