GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah baseball team opened the 2024 home slate with a 7-2 victory over the Washington College Shoremen. Jarrett Gordon led the Falcons with a pair of solo home runs, knocking big flies to left field in the third and sixth innings. Gordon entered Thursday's game with one career home run, but hit two round trippers to help the Falcons to a five-run victory.
 
Jason Long got the start for the Falcons and tossed five solid innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out four. Christian Foltz picked up the save by twirling four hitless frames while allowing no runs, walking just two, and striking out four Shoremen.
 
At the plate, Messiah made a lot of hard contact. Led by Gordon's two home runs, the Falcons recorded six extra-base hits with Isaiah Parido knocking a pair of triples. Even Messiah's outs were hard hit with multiple long drives caught at the warning track.
 
With the win, Messiah improves to 6-3 on the season and will be back in action on Friday afternoon when they host the Houghton Highlanders at 12:30 p.m. for a doubleheader.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons scored just two batters into the bottom half of the first after Isaiah Parido lined a leadoff triple to straight-away centerfield. Dylan Beard followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Parido and stake the Falcons to a 1-0 lead.
 
In the top of the second, the Shoreman plated a run on an RBI double to right-centerfield, tying the game at 1-1. Messiah responded with a four-run third frame. Jarrett Gordon led off the third inning with a solo home run to leftfield to begin a stretch of hard contact for the Falcons. Messiah knocked five hits in the frame, including extra-base hits from Isaiah Parido (triple) and Evan Wagaman (RBI double). The four-run inning gave Messiah a 5-1 heading to the fifth.
 
The Falcons added another run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from Evan Wagaman off the wall in leftfield. Beard's second RBI of the game bumped the Falcons lead to 6-1.
 
In the top of the fifth, the Shoremen trimmed the lead to 6-2 with an RBI single that went through the right side with two outs.
 
Jarrett Gordon stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth with two outs and launched his second home run of the game to left field to extend the Falcons' lead to five runs at 7-2.
 
That was the last of the scoring, as Christian Foltz shutdown the Shoremen over the final three frames.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will host the Houghton Highlanders on Friday afternoon for a doubleheader beginning at 12:30 p.m. The twin-bill was initially scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but a rainy forecast moved the two games forward to Friday.