CHESTER, Pa. - The Messiah baseball team wrapped up a three-game series against the Widener Pride on Sunday afternoon by sweeping both ends of a doubleheader and winning the series, two games to one. The Falcons took game one by a 7-2 final, scoring all seven of their runs in the final two frames and then claimed the nightcap by a 5-4 final with Isaiah Parido driving home the winning run in the top of the seventh.
 
The doubleheader sweep comes just three days after the Falcons were held to one hit in a complete game shutout by Widener's Sean Curran in the first game of the series. With Sunday's two victories, Messiah moves to 5-4 in the MAC Commonwealth and 9-10-1 overall on the season. The Falcons will be back in action on Tuesday afternoon when they travel to Annville to begin a three-game set against the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen that will be spread across two weeks. Messiah and Lebanon Valley will play a single game in Annville on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
 
Game One – Messiah defeats Widener – 7-2
Through five innings in Game One, the Flacons were held scoreless and the Pride holding a 2-0 lead. Widener scored a run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single before adding a second on a balk in the fourth. During the early innings, Messiah had some limited traffic on the bases, but were unable to really get a rally going. In the fourth a two-out double from Sam Zercher was stranded in scoring position. An inning later, Isaiah Parido led off the fifth with a double, but Messiah could not move him around.
 
Everything changed for the Falcons in the sixth when the first eight batters of the inning reached as the Falcons scored five runs to take a 5-2 lead. Singles from Dustin Isanogle, Dylan Beard, and Joshua Ammons brought home the first Messiah run and left runners at first and second. A walk to Sam Zercher loaded the bases with no outs. Evan Wagaman delivered a two-run single to centerfield that gave the Falcons a 3-2 advantage. Two more runs would cross the plate when Isaiah Parido reached on an error. The result was a five-run frame for the Falcons and a 5-2 cushion.
 
After a three-up, three-down inning in the bottom of the sixth, Messiah went back to work, adding two more runs in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk to Parido and a fielder's choice off the bat of Luke Ott.
 
Holding a 7-2 lead, Nathan Stein closed out the complete game with a scoreless seventh and earned his third victory of the season. Stein went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while walking four and striking out nine batters.
 
Game Two – Messiah defeats Widener – 5-4
The Falcons jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single from Joshua Ammons. The base hit brought home Luke Ott, who reached on an infield single earlier in the frame. Widener answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning on a groundout to short. After one frame, the game was level at 1-1.
 
Despite both teams putting runners on in both the second and third, no runs crossed the plate and the game remained tied, 1-1 heading to the fourth. After Messiah was turned away in order in the fourth, Widener took advantage of a pair of Falcon errors to take a 2-1 lead on an RBI single. Noah Barrall came on in relief and stranded three runners to limit the damage in the frame.
 
Messiah's response in the top of the fifth was swift. Dustin Isanogle and Luke Ott both doubled as the Falcons quickly tied the game at 2-2. After a walk to Sam Zercher the Falcons had runners on the corners with one out. A successful first and third play, brough Ott home while Zercher was thrown out at second. With a 3-2 lead, Evan Wagaman proceeded to launch a solo home run to put the Falcons up 4-2.
 
The home was the first of the season for Wagaman, but the second that he has hit at Widener in his career. A year ago on Apr. 16, Wagaman homered in an 11-6 victory in Chester.
 
The Falcons needed the extra run as the Pride tied the game in the sixth, scoring runs on an RBI single and an error.
 
With the game now tied, Messiah came to bat in the seventh. A one-out double from Joshua Ammons jump started the rally, but a fly out gave the Pride two outs in the frame. Widener proceeded to intentionally walk Wagaman to get to Parido. Isaiah Parido made the Pride pay for the decision, singling home the go-ahead run and putting the Falcons in front 5-4.
 
Josh Monturo tossed a clean bottom of the seventh as the Falcons earned the 5-4 victory. Monturo got the win, throwing 1.2 innings and allowing one unearned run on one hit. Starter Brody Martin threw the ball well, going 3.2 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit and one walk while striking out three.
 
On the day, Messiah collected 22 hits and scored 12 runs, while the Falcons' pitching staff held the Pride to just 10 hits and six runs.
 
What's Up Next
With the Sunday sweep, the Falcons move to 5-4 in the conference and remain firmly in the mix of the conference playoff hunt. Messiah begins a series with Lebanon Valley on Tuesday in Annville at 3:30 p.m. the Dutchmen are currently on top of the MAC Commonwealth standings with a 5-1 conference record and an overall mark of 9-10-1.