READING, Pa. – The Messiah baseball team earned a 9-0 victory in Game One of a doubleheader with the Alvernia Golden Wolves on Sunday afternoon to clinch the three-game series. Christian Woodie was excellent in the victory, pitching a complete game shutout with just one hit allowed while striking out half a dozen batters. In the nightcap, Messiah held a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but a seven-run frame gave the Golden Wolves a 10-5 victory.
 
In total, the Falcons won two of the three games in the series, including Friday afternoon's 5-4, 10-inning victory to improve to 12-9 in the conference this season. Overall, Messiah owns a 16-16-1 record and will be back in action on Tuesday afternoon when they host Penn State Mont Alto 3:30 p.m.
 
Game One – Messiah defeats Alvernia – 9-0
This was Christian Woodie's game. The senior tossed a seven-inning complete game allowing just one hit and shutting out the Golden Wolves to clinch the series for Messiah. Woodie struck out six batters while walking one and allowing a single up the middle to lead off the second inning. While three other batters reached on an error and a pair of hit-by-pitches, Woodie worked his way around the base runners to earn the complete game victory.
 
While Woodie was dominating on the mound, the Falcons' bats got to work. Messiah went up 3-0 early thanks to a run in the first and two more in the second against Alvernia's top arm, Evan Wood who held a 1.01 ERA entering the game. The Falcons added a fourth run in the fourth on a Sam Zercher single and ended Wood's day after four innings pitch. The collected nine hits off the first-year starter and scored four runs to take a 4-0 lead.
 
Five insurance runs came across the plat in the sixth and seventh innings as the Falcons rolled to the 9-0 victory. The top of the Falcons' order was especially strong in this one with Isaiah Parido, Dustin Isanogle, Joshua Ammons, and Sam Zercher combining to go 9-13 with five RBI, seven runs scored, three walks, and just one strike out.
 
Game Two – Alvernia defeats Messiah – 10-5
With the series win already in hand, the Falcons looked for the three-game sweep in Game Two. Messiah jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the second with a four-run frame. David Martinez got the scoring started with an RBI single before a pair of wild pitches brought home two runs. A double steal with runners on first and third allowed Isanogle to cross the plate the Falcons led 4-0 heading to the bottom of the second.
 
Alvernia got a run back in the bottom of the frame and scored two more in the third to make it a 4-3 game heading to the fourth. After neither team scored in the fourth, Messiah pushed their lead to two runs with an Evan Wagaman sacrifice fly in the fifth.
 
Trailing 5-3, Alvernia got their bats going in the bottom of the fifth with seven runs on six hits to take a 10-5 lead. The big blow in the frame was a three-run double with two outs by Zack Rogacki that pushed the lead from 7-5 to 10-5.
 
The Falcons went down in order in the sixth and managed just two hits in the seventh to fall by the 10-5 final score.
 
Despite the loss in Game Two, Messiah earned an important series victory to move to 12-9 in the conference this season.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will take on Penn State Mont Alto on Tuesday in a non-conference game at 3:30 p.m. in Grantham.