GRANTHAM, Pa. – The fourth-seeded York Spartans overwhelmed the top-seeded Messiah baseball team in Game One of the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal Series on Friday afternoon. The Spartans defeated Messiah 11-3 to earn the victory in Game One of the best-of-three series, but the Falcons rebounded with a 5-2 victory in Game Two to split Friday's doubleheader and force a winner-take-all Game Three tomorrow afternoon at 12:00 p.m.
 
In Game One, York jumped right out with three runs in the top of the first and never looked back, scoring in six of their nine trips to the plate. Messiah was limited to a solo home run by Luke Ott, an RBI groundout by Dylan Beard, and three runs with two-outs in the bottom of the ninth.
 
In Game Two, Messiah fell into a 2-0 hole, but a five-run sixth inning flipped the game and gave the Falcons a lead. Dylan Beard highlighted the frame with a three-run homer down the left-field line to give Messiah a 4-2 lead. Luke Ott and Evan Wagaman also drove home runs in the game as Nathan Stein and Noah Barrell controlled the Spartans' offense.
 
Game Three of the series is scheduled for noon on Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to the MAC Commonwealth Championship Series against the winner of Alvernia and Hood.
 
Game One – York defeats Messiah – 11-5
The Spartans jumped all over the Falcons in Game One of the series, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. The big blow was a two-run homer to right center that gave York a 3-0 lead just four batters into the game. Over the next three frames, Messiah had no problem getting a rally started, but struggled to find the big hit. The Falcons stranded two runners in both the first and second before ending the third with a double play.
 
The Spartans bumped their lead to 4-0 with a long solo home run down the left-field line by Brett DeWees in the top of the fourth. Messiah countered with a long-ball of their own in the bottom of the frame when Luke Ott led off the inning with a solo home run to straight-away center, getting the run right back.
 
York dented the scoreboard again in the fifth with a single run on an RBI triple down the right-field line. Once again, Messiah responded with a run in the bottom of the frame, this time scoring on a Dylan Beard RBI groundout to second base. The Falcons nearly plated two on a two-run home run from Evan Wagaman, but a line drive to right-centerfield bounded off the yellow line and back into the field of play. After five innings of play, York held a 5-2 advantage.
 
Drew Dellinger came on for the sixth and looked like he was going to get a one-two-three frame, getting a groundout, a pop-up, and a groundball to first base. An error on the third of those batted balls went under the glove at first base and allowed the Spartans to have a baserunner with two outs. With the heart of the order coming to the plate, York took advantage of the extra out, collecting five-straight two-out hits to plate four unearned runs in the frame. When the dust settled, the Spartans held a 9-2 advantage.
 
The Spartans picked up insurance runs in the seventh and eighth and held an 11-2 lead. While Messiah rallied in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three runs, it was not enough as York earned the Game One victory by an 11-5 final score.
 
Game Two – Messiah defeats York – 5-2
In Game Two, Nathan Stein toed the rubber for the Falcons, looking for his ninth win of the season while also seeking some revenge against the Spartans that handed him his lone loss of the year. Stein battled throughout six innings on Friday afternoon, doing everything he could to limit damage and give the Falcons a chance to win. He did just that, giving up two runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out six across six innings.
 
When Stein walked off the mound in the top of the sixth inning, the Falcons trailed 2-0 as the offense continued their search for the big hit.
 
Isaiah Parido led off the sixth with a walk and a single through the right side followed for Drew Hurst. After a line out, Evan Wagaman singled through the left side, scoring Pairdo and cutting the Spartans lead it half at 2-1. Dylan Beard stepped to the plate with runners on first and second and just one away. Beard drove a high fly ball down the left-field line that stayed true and cleared the left-field wall easily for a three-run home run. Beard's third home run of the season and second of the week, flipped the game and gave Messiah a 4-2 lead.
 
Jarrett Gordon then ripped a double inside the bag at third and Luke Ott drove him one for an insurance run. After a single and a walk, Messiah loaded the bases, but a ground out to first ended the inning. In the inning, Messiah scored five runs on six hits and turned a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 advantage.
 
With Stein north of 100 pitches, the Falcons turned the ball over to flame-throwing Noah Barrall. Back-to-back strikeouts started the inning and a weak groundball turned away the Spartans in order in the seventh. In the eighth, Barrall worked around a leadoff single to hang another zero on the board before stranding a two-out walk in the ninth as the Falcons earned the 5-2 victory.
 
With the victory, Nathan Stein ties the single season Messiah record for victories in a season, bringing him even with Eric Mindrebo with nine. As a team, the Falcons have also set the program record for most pitching strikeouts in a single season. After 42 games, the Falcons have fanned 324 batters on the season, besting the previous record of 306 from the 2016 season.
 
What's Up Next
With the split on Friday, the stage is set for a winner-take-all Game Three on Saturday. The game is scheduled for noon at the Starry Baseball Field, despite rain in the forecast.