GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah baseball team dropped the first game of a conference series against the Eastern Eagles, dropping a Friday night game 8-6 in Grantham. The Falcons took a 2-1 lead in the third inning after a two-run homer from
Sam Zercher to right center field. The Eagles battled back with a run in the fifth, two in the sixth, and three in the seventh to take a 7-3 lead.
Messiah pulled within one as the game moved to the ninth with a two-run single by
Isaiah Parido and an RBI single by
Josh Jacob. A solo home run by Eastern's David Hunsberger in the top of the ninth gave the Eagles the eventual 8-6 winning margin.
The loss drops the Falcons to 5-6 in the conference and 9-12-1 overall. These two teams will be back at it tomorrow afternoon with a doubleheader in St. Davids, beginning at 12:00 p.m.
How It Happened
The Eagles jumped out in front early with a double to right center giving Eastern a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. The Falcons were fortunate they kept the Eagles off the board in the first after the Eagles loaded the bases with one away.
Trailing 1-0, Messiah threatened in the bottom of the season, putting two in scoring position with one away, but a strikeout and a lineout to rightfield ended the frame with the Eagles still in front by one.
The Falcons would dent the scoreboard in the third with a two-out, two-run home run by
Sam Zercher to right-center field. After a
Dustin Isanogle hit-by-pitch, Zercher launched his team-leading fifth home run of the season, just to the left of the scoreboard. The result was a 2-1 Messiah lead after three frames.
Eastern would tie the game in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk before taking a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth. Eagles loaded the bases in the sixth with no outs on a flair single and a pair of bunt singles. After a hit-by-pitch and a single through the left side gave the Eagles a 4-2 lead, Messiah got out of the jam with a strikeout and a double play, limiting the damage in what could have been a massive frame.
The Falcons got one back in the bottom of the stanza on a throwing error when
Jarrett Gordon broke for third.
After a three-run frame in the top of the seventh by the Eagles, Eastern took a 7-3 lead into the seventh-inning stretch. The Falcons rallied with two outs in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice on a
Isaiah Parido single through the right side. Messiah put together a strong inning in the eighth while trailing 7-5.
After a ground out, Messiah put runners on first and second with a single by Gordon and a
David Martinez walk.
Josh Jacob singled to right center field, brining home Gordon from second. Jacob moved up to second on the throw to the plate, forcing a return throw to second. Martinez was standing at third and looked to force the issue, breaking for the plate. Martinez was cut down at the dish and Messiah trailed 7-6.
In the ninth, Eastern added an insurance run with a long solo home run onto the tennis courts beyond the right-field wall to make it an 8-6 game. The Falcons were turned down in order and the Eagles earned the 8-6 victory.
What's Up Next
The Falcons move to 9-12-1 overall and 5-6 in the conference with the loss. Messiah will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to St. Davids, Pa. to take on Eastern in a doubleheader beginning at noon.
