SALISBURY, Md. - It took 12 innings to decide a winner between the Messiah baseball team and the No. 4 Salisbury Sea Gulls. The Falcons and Sea Gulls were tied 2-2 after nine innings, but Messiah pushed across a run in the top of the 12th inning to take a 3-2 lead. The Sea Gulls stormed back with a two-run single scoring the game-winning run in walk-off fashion by a 4-3 final score.
 
Salisbury rallied multiple times throughout the late innings, but Messiah held tight leaving eight Sea Gull runners on base across the ninth, 10th, and 11th innings. In total, Messiah outhit the Sea Gulls 12-9 in the game with Drew Hurst leading the Falcons' offense with a 4-6 effort at the dish with a double and an RBI.
 
The Falcons move to 9-4 on the season and will begin MAC Commonwealth play this weekend with a series against the Alvernia Golden Wolves. The three-game set starts on Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Reading and will conclude on Saturday with a doubleheader in Grantham.
 
How It Happened
Salisbury got on the board first in the bottom of the second with back-to-back RBI singles with two outs. That was all the offense the Sea Gulls would generate for the next nine frames as they were stuck on nine runs until the bottom of the 12th.
 
Messiah tied things up in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs. Jarrett Gordon knocked an RBI single to center field that drove home Dustin Isanogle, who singled earlier in the inning. Nick Moyer then reached on a throwing error that allowed David Martinez to score from second. Gordon tried to scamper all the way around from first to give Messiah the lead, but was cut down at the plate and the inning came to a close with the score tied 2-2.
 
Despite plenty of traffic on the bases for both teams, that's where things stood for the next seven frames.
 
Salisbury knocked nine total hits in the game, but generated the bulk of their base runners from free passes, walking 10 times and having six batters hit by pitches. Despite the bases often full of Sea Gulls, Messiah's pitching staff hung tough, stranding 18 runners on the bases.
 
Like the Sea Gulls, Messiah had consistent opportunities for offense throughout the afternoon, going down one-two-three on just one occasion (sixth inning). The Falcons recorded 12 hits on the day, including five doubles, but were looking for the big hit throughout the day.
 
Finally in the 12th inning, Messiah broke through. Joshua Ammons led off the frame with a double to right field. Drew Hurst followed two batters later with a ground-run double that chased pinch-runner Jake Brown home. The two doubles helped Messiah to a 3-2 lead.
 
The advantage was short lived as Salisbury started the bottom of the 12th with back-to-back hit-by-pitches and a walk to load the bases. A double to left-center brought home the tying and go-ahead runs as Salisbury walked off the Falcons for the 4-3 victory.
 
Messiah's pitchers struck out 12 Sea Gulls in the game while the Falcons' batters fanned just three times in the game.
 
Despite the loss, Messiah showed they can go toe-to-toe with any opponent in the country and should set them up well for upcoming conference play.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will take on the Alvernia Golden Wolves in a three-game series, beginning this Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Reading. Alvernia will then head to Grantham on Saturday, to take on the Falcons in a doubleheader beginning at noon.