LANCASTER, Pa. - Needing to win two games on Sunday afternoon to claim the MAC Commonwealth Championship, the Messiah baseball team forced a Game Three with a 10-5 victory over Alvernia in their first game of the day. The magic of a fantastic 2024 season wore off as Alvernia silenced the Falcons' bats in a winner-take-all Game Three. Alvernia took the final game by a 7-2 final score, with a late, three-run homer putting the Golden Wolves on top for good.
 
The Falcons finish the 2024 season as the MAC Commonwealth Runner-Up and hold a 35-11 overall record, the best in program history. Despite the fantastic season, the Falcons are firmly on the edge of the NCAA Tournament bubble as the seventh-ranked team in Region V the most recent regional rankings. Messiah will certainly tune-in to Monday's Selection Show (noon on ncaa.com) to see if they earn an unlikely at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
In Game Two of the series, senior lefty Nathan Stein tossed a nine-inning complete game on 144 pitches in a 10-5 Messiah victory as the Falcons forced a decisive Game Three. The Golden Wolves took a 4-0 lead in the middle of the third inning, but a 10-minute rain delay in the middle of the frame turned the Falcons' offense on. The Falcons proceeded to score nine runs in the next three innings to take a 9-5 lead en route to the 10-5 victory. Drew Hurst and Jarrett Gordon both hit homers in the Game-Two victory.
 
With the Conference Championship on the line, Alvernia jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, but Messiah used an Evan Wagaman lead-off double to score a run in the bottom of the frame to pull within one at 2-1. In the sixth, Dylan Beard singled up the middle to tie the game, but a bases-loaded line-out from Luke Out ended a Messiah threat that would have taken the lead. In the top of the seventh, Alvernia's Matt Edwards lifted a three-run homer that broke the tie and put the Golden Wolves in front. Messiah was unable to get a runner on base in the final three innings and fell by a 7-2 final score.
 
Game Two of Series – Messiah defeats Alvernia – 10-5
The Alvernia Golden Wolves jumped out to a 4-0 lead after their first three trips to the plate to begin Game Two of the series. The Golden Wolves scored their first run on an RBI single in the second before plating three in the second with a wild pitch and a pair of sacrifice flies. A brief rain delay delayed the start of the bottom of the third inning by about 10 minutes. After the Falcons stranded a pair of runners in each of the first two frames, they came out swinging following the rain delay.
 
Drew Hurst led off the bottom of the third with a solo homer to right field for his second-straight game with a home run. Joshua Ammons continued the inning with a single up the middle and after a fly out and a lineout, Jarrett Gordon lifted a flyball to right-centerfield that just kept carrying for a two-run home run to pull the Falcons within one at 4-3. The next three batters walked to load the bases with two away, but Messiah was unable to tie the game with a groundout ending the frame with Alvernia in front by a run.
 
In the fourth, Nathan Stein turned the Golden Wovles away in order, striking out the side before the Falcons tied the game with an RBI single from Dylan Beard in the bottom of the inning.
 
Alvernia took the lead right back with an RBI double to right-center field that Evan Wagaman nearly made a highlight play on, diving in the gap. Wagaman was not able to hold on to the diving catch and Jason Kelly drove home a run with the double.
 
The 5-4 Alvernia lead was short lived as the Falcons plated five runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth inning. Drew Hurst picked up the first RBI of the inning with a single to centerfield. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Dylan Beard drove home a pair of runs with a single up the middle to give the Falcons a 7-5 lead. The cushion was bumped to four runs after a bases loaded walk to Dustin Isanogle and a sacrifice fly by Luke Ott.
 
An infield single by Isaiah Parido in the eighth allowed Luke Ott to hustle home from third as the Falcons added a 10th run in the bottom of the eight en route to the 10-5 victory.
 
Nathan Stein was the story in Game Two of the Championship Series. Pitching in what could be his last game as a Falcon, Stein set the program record for single-season record for pitching victories with his 10th win. Stein allowed four earned runs in the first three innings, but settled down after the first rain delay in the third inning, allowing just one run across the final six frames. The senior lefty went the distance, tossing 144 pitches in a nine-inning complete game with nine hits allowed while striking out half a dozen Golden Wolves in the process. Stein was fantastic, trotting out inning after inning and giving the Falcons exactly what they needed, quality pitching while saving the bullpen for a potential Game Three.
 
Game Three of Series – Alvernia defeats Messiah – 7-2
It was a tight start to the series finale, but Alvernia was first on the board with a bases loaded hit-by-pitch in the third. Messiah starter, Josh Nielsen worked out of the jam, but the Golden Wolves held a 1-0 lead. An inning later, A single up the middle doubled the Alvernia lead to 2-0.
 
Evan Wagaman led off the fourth inning with a double to right field and then came around to scored on back-to-back groundouts to trim the Alvernia lead to one at 2-1. In the sixth, Drew Hurst led off the inning with a walk and moved to third after a pair of slowly hit groundballs. With two outs, Dylan Beard knocked a single up the middle to tie the game at 2-2. The next two batters were hit by pitches and the bases were loaded for Luke Ott with two away. Ott hit a ball on the screws, but it went right to the first baseman and the sixth inning came to a close.
 
With the Conference Championship hanging in the balance, the game turned to the seventh inning tied at 2-2. Alvernia put a pair of runners on with an infield single and a hit by pitch. That brought first baseman Matt Edwards to the plate with two on and one away. Edwards knocked a high fly ball to left field that pushed Luke Ott toward the wall. Ott went right up to the wall and jumped, but Edward's fly ball scraped the backside of the fence for a go-ahead three-run homer that put the Golden Wolves up 5-2.
 
After the three-run homer, Messiah was unable to get a runner on base with Alvernia's starter, Jason Kelly going the distance with a nine-inning complete game with two runs on four hits and a trio of walks. Kelly struck out three Falcons in the game and retired the last 10 batters he faced. For his efforts in the final game of the series, as well as his work at the plate as the Golden Wolves' designated hitter, Kelly was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
 
Alvernia tacked on a pair of runs in the ninth en route to the 7-2 victory and a 2-1 victory in the series. The Golden Wolves claimed their fourth MAC Commonwealth Championship and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with the conference's automatic qualifier.
 
Capping Off a Historic Season
Sunday's games puts a cap on the 2024 season for the Messiah baseball team. While they are regionally ranked and still have a chance to claim an at-large bid the NCAA Tournament, the odds are not in their favor. However, the Falcons put together one of the most successful seasons in program history. Messiah finished the season with a 35-11 record, shattering the program record for victories in a single season, topping the previous record of 28 by seven victories. Additionally, the Falcons set a handful of notable team records, including the most home runs in program history (48), most pitching strikeouts in program history (351), and highest fielding percentage in program history (.973), highlighting their ability to win ballgames in a wide variety of different ways.