CHESTER, Pa. – The Messiah University softball team controlled from start to finish on Sunday afternoon, issuing a road doubleheader sweep at Widener University. Lydia Collison led the Falcons in Game One, pitching a no-hitter to secure a 3-0 win as the Falcons completed the sweep in the second contest with a comfortable 6-0 victory. Elianna Litwin homered in Game Two to increase her conference-leading RBI total to 28.
 
On the day, four Falcons combined to keep the Widener offense to just one hit.
 
Collison (10-1) earned the Game One win as Maggie Chinnadurai clinched the save and followed with a stellar seven-inning performance in Game Two, allowing just one hit and striking out six batters to clinch her fifth win of the season to improve her record to 55-6.
 
Game One – Messiah 3, Widener 0
Collison was in the circle for the first contest of the doubleheader, beginning the game in dominant fashion. The junior pitcher, despite issuing a first-inning walk, faced the minimum number of batters through the opening three frames. Widener's Mikayla Fedele pitched strong in the opening three innings as well, surrendering a first-inning single to Hannah Dyer but settling in to retire the next eight batters.
 
Messiah scored the game's first run in the top of the fourth inning to grab a 1-0 lead. Dyer led off the frame with a triple to right-center field, her second hit of the game. Two batters later, Litwin singled to left field to plate Dyer. Collison was able to solidify the lead in the bottom half of the frame, slowing just one runner to reach on an error.
 
Dyer notched her third hit of the game in the top of the sixth inning as the Falcons tacked on two more runs to increase their advantage to 3-0. McKenzie Shannon and Litwin recorded the run-scoring knocks in the inning in back-to-back fashion as Shannon ripped a double to left field and Litwin singled in the following at-bat. Litwin, with her RBI-single, tallied her second RBI of the contest.
 
Kelli Durbin came on in relief and was able to work out of a jam in the bottom half of the inning behind a stellar defensive play. With two runners aboard and just one out, Durbin was able to induce an inning-ending double play with a lineout to Dyer at shortstop.
 
The Pride threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning, loading the bases, but Maggie Chinnadurai was able to lead the Falcons to a 3-0 victory and secure her second save of the season. Collison, Durbin, and Chinnadurai combined to clinch the no-hit pitching performance as Collison earned her 10th win of the season.
 
In addition to the no-hitter, Messiah totaled seven hits in the Game One win, led by three from Dyer and two from Litwin.
 
Game Two – Messiah 6, Widener 0
After nailing down the Game One Save, Chinnadurai was back in the circle to start Game Two. The sophomore pitcher came out strong, issuing two strikeouts in the opening two frames and allowing just one baserunner on a walk in the first four innings. The Falcons' offense struck in the top of the second inning off an error from the Pride's defense. Rebekah Wiley and Kyley Mellage each hit safely in the inning.
 
Messiah extended its lead to three runs in the top of the third inning, scoring on consecutive RBI-groundouts. Litwin and Wiley each put the ball in play to score the two runs. After three frames, Messiah led Widener, 3-0.
 
The Falcons threatened in the top of the fourth inning when Burger ripped a one-out double to right field. Ali Wagner laced a single in the following at-bat to put runners on the corners, but Shannon and Dyer were retired consecutively to end the threat. Chinnadurai continued to shut out the Pride offense in the bottom half of the inning, retiring three batters on order.
 
Messiah scored three more runs in the contest to solidify the win, 6-0. Litwin lifted her second home run of the season in the top of the fifth inning, a solo shot to extend the Falcons' lead to 4-0. Messiah plated two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh frame after Jaden Keister worked a bases-loaded walk and Paige Eakes singled to left field to score Wiley.
 
Chinnadurai pitched phenomenally, allowing just one hit, a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Falcons combined for nine total hits across eight different contributors. Wagner was the only Messiah player to record multiple hits, her fourth multi-hit performance of the season.
 
What's Next
Messiah (17-8, 5-1 MAC Commonwealth) host Eastern University this Thursday, Apr. 6, for a conference doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m.