GRANTHAM, Pa. – The York Spartans scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to comeback and claim a 7-5 victory over the Falcons in the MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game. Messiah threatened in the bottom of the ninth, scoring two runs, but it was not enough as York advanced to the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals. The Falcons had fought their way out of an early, 2-0 hole with solo home runs from Sam Zercher and Evan Wagaman and later took a 3-2 lead on a David Martinez sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.
 
The Spartans scored their five ninth-inning runs on five hits and rode the late burst to a 7-5 victory in the Play-In Game.
 
In his final collegiate game, Sam Zercher set a new program record for home runs in a single season with his 11th home run to right-center field in the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
For the Falcons, the loss ends their season with an overall record of 19-20-1, advancing to the MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game for the second-straight season.
 
How It Happened
The Spartans threatened in each of the first two frames before getting on the board in the top of the third with two runs on four hits. After Christian Woodie got the first two batters of the innig with a line out and a groundout, the Spartans started a two-out rally that brought home runs with an RBI triple to right field and an RBI single up the middle. The result was a 2-0 Spartans lead after the top of the third.
 
Messiah looked to get on the board with two hits in the bottom of the frame with just one out, but an inning-ending double play stranded a runner in scoring position and turned the game to the top of the fourth.
 
The Falcons did get on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Sam Zercher lifted his 11th home run of the season to right-center field to lead off the frame. While his big fly cut the deficit to just one run at 2-1, it also marked the first time in program history that a player had hit more than 10 home runs in a single season. Zercher's blast broke a tie with Kasey Caras and Craig Mease for the single season program record for home runs.
 
After the Falcons went down in order after Zerher's home run, the Spartans looked to get the run back. After a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt put a runner on second with one out, Robby Elzinga lined a single up the middle. Messiah center fielder, Isaiah Parido fielded the ball cleanly and cut down the runner on a one-hop throw to the plate. Dustin Isanogle put down the tag, just before the runner touched the plate. Parido's throw saved a run as the lead remained one after a pop out to second base two batters later ended the frame.
 
It would stay a 2-1 York lead until the bottom of the seventh when Evan Wagaman lined his sixth home run of the season to straight-away center field to tie the game at 2-2. The solo blast led off the frame and gave the Messiah offense a little life. The Falcons proceeded to load the bases with a pair of singles sandwiched around an error on a sacrifice bunt with just one out. David Martinez lifted a fly ball to right center that gave the Falcons a lead at 3-2, but a strike out ended the inning with two runners on base.
 
The Falcons wiggled out of a jam in the eighth with a ground out up the middle stranding two runners on base for the Spartans. In the bottom of the frame, Sam Zercher sent a fly ball to straight away centerfield, but it was caught on the warning track for his second-straight at bat ending in a warning track fly ball to the deepest part of the ballpark. Despite the near home run call, the lead remained one as the contest turned to the ninth.
 
York's Lucas Prendergast led off the top of the ninth with a solo home run to right field that tied the game at 3-3. That was just the start for the Spartans in the frame. York proceeded to score four more runs to take a 7-3 lead. Josh Monturo was called on to try and stop the bleeding with the bases loaded and no outs in a 5-3 game. Monturo induced a comebacker from the first batter he faced for a one-two-three double play. Needing just one more out to hold the game at 5-3, York's Luke Moser lined a two-run single up the middle to give the Spartans a 7-3 advantage.
 
The final two runs proved to be important ones as the Falcons rallied in the bottom of the ninth. The first three batters reached with a walk and back-to-back singles to load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout and a fielder's choice, the Falcons had a run in and two outs with runners on the corners. Joshua Ammons lined a single down the leftfield like, but a strikeout ended the inning and the Falcons' hopes of moving on into the weekend's MAC Commonwealth Semifinals.
 
The result, was a 7-5 York victory, advancing the Spartans to the semifinals against top-seeded Lebanon Valley this weekend.
 
Wrapping up the Season
The Falcons finish the season with an overall record of 19-20-1 and advanced to the MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game for the second-straight season. Thursday's game was the first postseason baseball game played in Grantham since 2004 and just the second in program history.