GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah baseball team won their 19th and 20th games of the season as they completed a doubleheader sweep of the Hood Blazers on Saturday afternoon. After winning yesterday, Messiah stayed hot winning by scores of 5-0 and 16-10 to extend their winning streak to nine games.
With the pair of victories on Saturday, the Falcons move to 10-1 in the conference and hold a 20-6 overall record on the season. By picking up their 20th win in their 26th game, the Falcons are off to the best start in program history. They have now set a mark for the fewest games to reach 20 wins in program history, besting the 2008 team who started the season with a 20-7 record. In the 58 seasons of Messiah baseball, the Falcons have only won 20 games in a season 12 times prior to this year. The single-season program record for wins was set by the 2005 and 2008 squads with 28 victories.
Messiah will be back in action on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Eastern Eagles at 3:00 p.m. in St. Davids, Pa.
Game One – Messiah defeats Hood – 5-0
Nathan Stein was the story in Game One of the doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The senior lefty, tossed a seven-inning complete game, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out eight batters in a shutout victory. Stein was in control for the entirety of the contest, allowing a first inning single on a slow-rolling groundball to short stop.
Stein walked a batter in the second and hit a batter in the fifth (though the Falcons thought the pitch hit off the bat rather than the batter's forearm) for the only other baserunners allowed. He turned in four different three-up, three-down innings while striking out the side in the top of the seventh to put an exclamation mark on the victory. With the win, Stein improves to 7-0 on the season and lowed his ERA to a 1.69.
While Stein was doing his thing on the mound, the Falcons bats did just enough against Dutch DeProspero to earn the victory. Messiah stranded a pair of runners in both the first and second innings, before denting the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. After a fly out to right started the inning, Messiah loaded the bases with three-straight singles. After a strikeout,
Luke Ott stepped to the plate and layed down a risky two-out bunt. The bunt barely got into the infield grass but was played by the pitcher. Ott's speed allowed him to beat the throw to first and
Joshua Ammons came in to score. The throw, however, was not caught at first and the ball bounded down the right-field line and allowed two more runs to score. The wild play gave the Falcons a 3-0 lead at the end of the third inning.
Insurance runs would be added in the fifth and sixth innings, though Stein would not need them.
Dustin Isanogle knocked an RBI double in the fifth and
Joshua Ammons drove home a run in the sixth on a single up the middle.
Joshua Ammons led the offense in Game One, reaching base four times with a 3-3 effort at the plate with a walk and a double. He also scored two runs and drove home another.
Game Two – Messiah defeats Hood – 16-10
After a tidy one-hour and 31-minute Game One, the second game of the doubleheader featured 12 different pitchers, 26 runs, and 23 hits, lasting a total of three-hours and 27 minutes. The Blazers struck first in the top of the first inning with a run, but the Falcons countered with three in the bottom of the frame.
Dylan Beard highlighted the frame with a two-run single through the left side.
After the Blazers scored two runs in the top of the second, the game was tied 3-3 heading to the third. Hood plated five runs in the third to take an 8-3 lead, taking advantage of four walks and a hit by pitch to build their largest lead of the series.
The Hood cushion was short lived as Messiah came to bat in the bottom of the frame and did the visitors one better, scoring six runs to take the lead back at 9-8. The Falcons used a trio of two-run hits to take the lead back.
David Martinez lined a single to left-center to get the Falcons on the board in the frame and four batters later
Drew Hurst pulled a two-run single through the right side to get Messiah within one at 8-7.
Joshua Ammons then drove a ball the other way, placing a two-run double in right center to take the lead back at 9-8.
Messiah was not done there as runs continued to be added to the scoreboard for the Falcons.
David Martinez drove home a run on a ground out in the fourth and
Luke Ott singled to center field in the fifth to drive home a pair. With a 12-8 lead in the seventh,
David Martinez singled to right center to bring home two more.
After Hood scored two on a double down the left-field line, Messiah got the runs right back with an
Isaiah Parido RBI single and a bases loaded walk to
Luke Ott. Ott then came into pitch the ninth inning, closing out a 16-10 Messiah victory with a scoreless ninth inning. Ott was the last of six different Messiah pitchers in the game.
Noah Barrall earned the victory on the hill, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings of relief. Barrall struck out five batters while allowing just a pair of walks and no hits.
David Martinez led the offensive effort with a 4-5 game at the plate. The Falcons' right fielder drove home five runs while scoring one of his own and dropping a double down the left-field line.
Luke Ott also had a strong game at the dish, going 3-4 with a pair of walks, three RBI, and three runs scored.
What's Up Next
The Falcons have another quick turnaround as they travel to St. Davids, Pa. tomorrow afternoon to conclude their three-game set with the Eastern Eagles from last weekend. The game is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. The Falcons won the first two games of the series by scores of 3-1 and 11-1 last Saturday, Mar. 30.
