LEESBURG, Fla. – The Messiah University softball team defeated the Hamilton College Continentals 5-4 in a game that saw four lead changes from the fourth inning on. After shutdown pitching through three innings, the Falcons took the lead in the top of the fourth. Hamilton responded with two runs in bottom of the fifth to take the lead, but the Falcons scored three in the top of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead. The Continentals once again answered back with two runs in the bottom of sixth to tie the game at four. The Falcons scored a run in top of the seventh and then shut down Hamilton in the bottom half to win the game 5-4. Kelli Durbin earned the win with two innings pitched in relief, allowing a hit, and a walk. Kandice Schlabach led the Falcons with two hits and an RBI. Brielle Rosario tallied a big two-run double in the sixth inning and scored a run.
 
In game two, the Falcons fell to Mount St. Joseph's University, 9-4. The Falcons took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Lions would score four runs in the top of the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. The Falcons answered back with a run in the bottom of the fourth to pull within two both teams would add a run in fifth, but the Lions poured on three runs in sixth and another in the seventh to jump to a 9-3 lead. The Falcons scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, but could not get more runs across home to fall 9-4. Rebekah Wiley and Jaden Keister led the Falcons with two hits and an RBI each. Keister also reached base two more times on hit by pitches. Hannah Dyer reached base three times and scored three runs. Alexa Burger, Brielle Rosario, and Elianna Litwin each recorded a hit.

Game One – Messiah 5, Hamilton 4
The Falcons looked to get on the board in the top of the first after Hannah Dyer reached on a hit by pitch with one out. Dyer then stole second, but Hamilton got out of the inning with a strikeout and pop out. Hamilton then threatened in the bottom half, with a two-out single and a stolen base, but Lydia Collison got a fly out to right to keep the game scoreless after the first inning.
 
After the Falcons went down in order in the second, and Collison worked around a Hamilton single, the Falcons looked to get the scoring started in the top of the third. Paige Eakes singled through the left side with one out and after a strikeout, Hannah Dyer reached on another hit by pitch to put runners on first and second with two outs. Hamilton got out of the inning though on a popup in foul territory to third. Lydia Collison then continued to cruise on the mount working around a two-out single and stolen base to keep the game scoreless through three.
 
The Falcons then looked to once again score the first run of the game in the top of the fourth. Jaden Keister led the inning off with a hit by pitch and then Allie Book moved Keister to second with a sacrifice bunt. Kandice Schlabach then doubled down the left-field line to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Hamilton got out of the inning, but then Lydia Collison set the Continentals down in order to keep the Falcons up 1-0.
 
In the top of the fifth, Alexa Burger singled through the left side with one out, but then was caught stealing. Hannah Dyer then walked, but the Falcons flew out to right field to end the top of the fifth. Hamilton finally broke through in the bottom of fifth though, the Continentals scored two runs on four hits and an error to give Hamilton a 2-1 lead after five innings.
 
The Falcons offense went back to work though in the top of the sixth. Jaden Keister led the inning off with a single up the middle and then Allie Book reached on an error to have runners on first and second with no outs. Kandice Schlabach then singled up the middle to load the bases with no outs. Brielle Rosario then hit a two-RBI double down the left-field line to put the Falcons up 3-2. After a fielder's choice, the Falocns added another run on an error by the Hamilton right fielder to put the Falcons up 4-2. Hamilton then responded back in the bottom of the sixth with two runs on three hits and two walks to tie the game at four.
 
The Falcons continued to respond back in the top of the seventh. Hannah Dyer led the inning off with a hit by pitch and then McKenzie Shannon singled to center, but Dyer was thrown out at second. Shannon advanced to second on a passed ball and then Jaden Keister reached on error by the first basemen to have runners on first and second with one out. Allie Book then reached on a fielder's choice, and the second basemen for Hamilton made an error which allowed Shannon to score giving the Falcons a 5-4 lead. Kelli Durbin worked around a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh to shut down the Continentals and give the Falcons a 5-4 win.
 
Kelli Durbin earned the win with two innings pitched in relief, allowing a hit, and a walk. Kandice Schlabach led the Falcons with two hits and an RBI. Brielle Rosario tallied a big two-run double in the sixth inning and scored a run.
 
Game Two – Mount St. Joseph 9, Messiah 4
In the top of the first Maggie Chinnadurai worked around a lead off error to hold off the Lions. In the bottom half, Hannah Dyer hit a one-out triple to right center to give the Falcons a scoring threat early. Rebekah Wiley then hit a single to second base that scored Dyer from third and gave the Falcons an early 1-0 lead. Jaden Keister then got on base after a hit by pitch to put Falcons on first and second with one out. The Falcons then grounded into a fielder's choice and a foul out to second to end the first.
 
The Falcons worked around a leadoff single in the top of the second and looked to add to their one-run lead. Brielle Rosario led off the inning with a single, but the Falcons grounded into a double play and then grounded out to short to end the second.
 
In the top of the third, the Lions looked to get on the board. The Lions scored four runs on two hits, two error, a walk, and a hit by pitch to give them a 4-1 lead. The Falcons looked to respond in the bottom half and started strong with a leadoff single from Alexa Burger. After two outs were made, Jaden Keister singled to center field to put runners on first and second with two outs. The Lions then got a huge strikeout to prevent the Falcons from scoring any runs in the inning.
 
The Lions got two more hits and a walk in the top of the fourth, but Maggie Chinnadurai got a big strikeout to keep the score at 4-1. The Falcons responded with the momentum change with Kandice Schlabach leading off the inning with an error that put her on second with no outs. After a ground out, Elianna Litwin singled up the middle and advanced to second on the throw from the center fielder to give the Falcons runners on second and third with one out. Paige Eakes then grounded out to first and Schlabach scored putting the Falcons down 4-2. The Lions though got out of the inning without any more runs scoring after a lineout to right field.
 
In the top of the fifth the Lions responded to the Falcons run with a run of their own on a hit, error, and a walk. The Falcons then looked for a response and started the inning with Hannah Dyer reaching on a Lions error. Dyer then advanced to second on a passed ball and then to third after a ground out. Jaden Keister then reached first after a hit by pitch and then Allie Book grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Dyer from third putting the Falcons down 5-3.
 
The Lions though would add three more runs in the top of sixth on four hits and two walks to give the Lions a 8-3 lead. The Falcons though were retired in order and the game headed into the final inning.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Lions would add another run on four hits to push their lead to 9-4.  The Falcons needed a big inning in the bottom of the seventh to make the comeback. With one out, Hannah Dyer reached first after a hit by pitch. Rebekah Wiley then singled down the right field line to put runners on first and third with one out. Jaden Keister then singled to shortstop, that scored Dyer and put runners on first and second with still only one out. The Falcons then popped out to left field and flew out to left to end the game with the Lions winning 9-4.
 
Rebekah Wiley and Jaden Keister led the Falcons with two hits and an RBI each. Keister also reached base two more times on hit by pitches. Hannah Dyer reached base three times and scored three runs. Alexa Burger, Brielle Rosario, and Elianna Litwin each recorded a hit.