GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah baseball team split a doubleheader with the Alvernia Golden Wolves on Saturday afternoon, winning Game One 10-1 before dropping the nightcap 6-4. The Falcons brought the bats in Game One, scoring multiple runs in three consecutive innings. In Game Two, Alvernia jumped out to an early lead, and it was Messiah playing catchup.
Despite some late runs in the second game, Messiah was unable to complete the comeback and fell by a 6-4 final. With Saturday's split, Messiah claimed the series against the Golden Wolves and starts conference play with a 2-1 record. The Falcons will be back in action on Tuesday against Dickinson at 3:30 p.m.
Game One – Messiah defeats Alvernia – 10-1
After a scoreless first inning, Messiah exploded for multiple runs in the next three frames to build a 10-0 lead after four innings of play. Numerous Falcons played a hand in the offensive outburst against the Golden Wolves, with home runs from
Evan Wagaman and
Jarrett Gordon highlighting the effort.
The Falcons started by plating three runs in the bottom of the third. The frame started with back-to-back singles by
Drew Hurst and
Dustin Isanogle, but a strikeout and a fly out accounted for the first two outs. A walk loaded the bases and
Nick Moyer advanced home moments later when an attempted back pick was thrown into left field.
Isaiah Parido then burned the left fielder with a two-run double to give Messiah a 3-0 lead.
Evan Wagaman led off the bottom of the third by driving the first pitch he saw over the centerfield wall for his third home run of the season. Messiah was not done there. With two away,
Dustin Isanogle pulled a ball down the third-base line just inside the bag and hustled to second with a double.
David Martinez followed with an RBI single up the middle and
Jarrett Gordon launched Messiah's second homer of the inning over the wall in right-center for a 7-0 Falcons' lead. The big fly was Gordon's third of the season.
Messiah extended their lead to 10-0 with a three-run inning in the fourth.
Evan Wagaman nearly left the yard again, knocking a long single off the top of the wall in left-center field. Parido scored from second on the base-hit after singling earlier in the frame. Later in the inning,
Dustin Isanogle collected his third hit of the game with a single up the middle that brought home two teammates and gave Messiah a 10-0 lead.
Alvernia got a run back in the fifth, scoring on a first and third play where Isanogle caught the runner at first attempting to steal second. That was the only run that Messiah starter
Nathan Stein would allow. The senior lefty tossed 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five Golden Wolves.
Collin Schrim tossed the final 1.2 innings, allowing two base runners on a base hit and a walk.
Game Two – Alvernia defeats Messiah – 6-4
Despite outhitting the Golden Wolves in Game Two, the Messiah Falcons suffered a 6-4 setback in the nightcap on Saturday. Alvernia was first on the board in the top of the second inning with a pair of runs on a groundout and a single to center. An inning later the Alvernia lead jumped to 3-0 on an RBI single to center.
In the bottom of the third, the Falcons got a run back on an infield single by
Dylan Beard. A throwing error by the third baseman allowed
Isaiah Parido to hustle home for the Falcons first run of Game Two.
Alvernia insurance runs came across the plate in the fifth and eighth to increase the lead to 6-1.
Trailing by five, Messiah cut into the lead in the bottom of the eight, scoring a run on a wild pitch. Then with two away in the ninth,
Evan Wagaman hammered his second home run of the day to pull the Falcons with two at 6-4. An infield single by
Dylan Beard and a walk to
Drew Hurst put the tying run on base, but a strikeout ended the game and gave Game Two to Alvernia.
What's Up Next
With Saturday's split the Falcons move to 2-1 in the conference and claim their first MAC Commonwealth series of the season. On the year, the Falcons are 11-5 and will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Dickinson for a non-conference game against the Red Devils at 3:30 p.m.
