NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – On Friday afternoon, the Messiah University baseball team fell in both games of the season opening doubleheader against the eleventh-ranked Captains of Christopher Newport, 8-2 and 9-5. In game one the Captains scored the first run of the day in the bottom of the third before adding on four in bottom of the fifth. The Falcons battled late but could not add more than two runs and Christopher Newport earned the 8-2 win. Nick Moyer and Jarrett Gordon each tallied a hit and an RBI. Dylan Beard also added a hit.
In game two, the Falcons opened the game strong with a two-RBI single from Evan Wagaman to give the Falcons an early 2-0 lead. The Falcons added two more runs on a two-RBI single from Dylan Beard to extend the Falcons lead to 4-0. The Falcons added one more run in the top of the fifth on an Isaiah Parido RBI double to give the Falcons a 5-0 lead. The Captains started to chip away at the Falcons lead with two runs in the fourth and the seventh to reduce the Falcons lead to 5-4 headed into the eighth. The Captains scored five runs in the eighth and then closed the door in the ninth to earn the doubleheader sweep.
 
Up next, the Falcons continue their three-game series at No. 11 CNU on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10:00 a.m.
 
Game One – No. 11 CNU 8, Messiah 2
After the two teams went down in order in the first and the Falcons once again going down in order in the top of the second, the Captains looked to score the first run in the bottom of the second. After a lead off walk, Jason Long struck out the next two batters, but with two outs the Captains hit a single to put runners on first and second with two outs. Long got the next batter to ground out, ending the threat and keeping the game scoreless after two.

The Captains though broke through in the third, scoring a run on an RBI single, but Long limited the damage by striking out a Captain to end the third. The Captains added more runs in the fourth, with a four-run tow out rally to push the Captains lead to 5-0.

The Falcons looked to break into the score column in the top of the fifth. Evan Wagaman opened the inning reaching on an error by the third basemen. After a fly out, Dustin Isanogle reached on a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. After Evan Wagaman stole third, the Falcons hit into fielder's choice, from third to home to cut down the Falcons first potential run of the game. Luke Ott then walked to load the bases, but the Falcons ended the inning with a fly out to keep the score at 5-0.

After a scoreless fifth inning, the Captains added another run in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly to put the score at 6-0 headed into the seventh.

The Falcons looked to get on the board in the top of the seventh. After a ground out to lead off the inning, Dylan Beard worked a walk. A ground out advanced Beard to second and then Beard stole third to put a runner on third with two outs. Nick Moyer then hit a RBI double to reduce the Captains lead to 6-1. The Captains though ended the two-out rally with a strikeout to keep their five-run lead.

The Falcons looked to start a late rally in the top of the eighth. Jarrett Gordon opened the inning with a lead off walk. After a pair a ground outs, Gordon advanced to third before Matt Luchovick got hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners with two outs. The Falcons though ended the inning with a ground out to keep the score at 6-1. The Captains added two more runs in the bottom of the eight on three hits to increase the Captains lead to 8-1 headed into the top of the ninth.

The Falcons though would not go down without a fight. Dylan Beard led off the ninth with a single to right field, followed by a walk from Dustin Isanogle to put runners on first and second with no outs. After a fly out, Cristian Reyna was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Jarrett Gordon then ripped a RBI single to left field to reduce the Captains lead to six with one out still.
The Captains though got the next two batters for the Falcons out to earn the 8-2 opening day win.

Game One Stats
Nick Moyer and Jarrett Gordon each tallied a hit and a RBI. Dylan Beard also added a hit. Jason Long pitched four innings for the Falcons with seven hits allowed, five earned runs, and five strikeouts. Trey Harper pitched four innings in his first career appearance, allowing seven hits, three runs, and also striking out five batters.
 
Game Two: No. 11 CNU 9, Messiah 5
The Falcons looked to open game two strong. Isaiah Parido opened the game with a walk and then Drew Hurst reached base on a fielder's choice and Parido reached second on throwing error by the Captains second basemen. Matt Luchovick flew out to right field, but Parido advanced to third to put runners on the corners with one out. After Hurst stole second, Evan Wagaman hit a two-RBI single into right field to give the Falcons an early 2-0 lead. The Captains though got the next two Falcons' batters out to hold the Falcons to two runs.

Christian Foltz threw a 1-2-3 scoreless first and then worked around two walks in the second to keep the Falcons 2-0 lead heading into the top of third.
After the two scoreless innings, the Falcons looked to add more to their two-run lead. After a lead off foul out, Drew Hurst drew a one-out walk. After Hurst advanced on wild pitch, Matt Luchovick drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Hurst and Luchovick advanced on a wild pitch and after a strikeout, Dylan Beard hit a two-out two-RBI single to push the Falcons lead to 4-0 after the top of the third.
 
Foltz continued to work out of trouble in the bottom of the third. After the Captains hit a lead off double and a walk, Foltz got a pop out and two strikeouts to get out of the third with the Falcons still ahead, 4-0.
 
The Falcons looked to add to their four-run lead in the top of the fourth. With two out, Cristian Reyna drilled a triple into the left center gap. Isaiah Parido then followed up the triple with an RBI double to extend the Falcons lead to five. The Captains though answered back in the bottom of the fourth with two runs on a two-RBI double to reduce the Falcons lead to 5-2.
 
After a couple of scoreless innings both teams looked to score runs in the seventh. Matt Luchovick led off the inning with a hit by pitch and then Evan Wagaman hot a double down the left-field line to give the Falcons runners on second and third with no outs. The Captains though got out of the jam and headed to the bottom of the seventh with some momentum. The Captains scored two runs in the seventh, but Noah Barrall struck out the final batter of the inning to keep a Falcons' 5-4 lead.
 
After a scoreless top of the eighth for the Falcons, the Captains looked to take their first lead of the game in the bottom half. The Captains scored five runs on four hits and five walks to take a 9-5 lead into the top of the ninth.
 
Dustin Isanogle reached on a single and Evan Wagaman drew a walk, but the flew out in their next at-bat and then grounded into a double-play to end the game with CNU earning the 9-5 win.

Game Two Stats
Evan Wagaman led the Falcons with two hits and two RBIs. Dylan Beard added a hit and two RBIs. Isaiah Parido totaled a hit and an RBI. Drew Hurst added two runs scored. Christian Foltz earned the start with four innings pitched, two earned runs, four walks and four strikeouts. Daniel Knight pitched 2.1 innings, with two unearned runs, and two strikeouts. Ryan Morrison pitched a scoreless frame with a strikeout.

Next
The Falcons continue their three-game series at No. 11 CNU on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10:00 a.m.