GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Softball team won two games against York College on the final day of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament to win the MAC Commonwealth Championship. In game one, the teams went back and forth through seven innings, with the game going to extras. In extras the teams continued to go back and forth until the Falcons blew the game open with four runs in the tenth inning to win 10-6, forcing a game two.
Allie Book,
Fallon Feaser, and
Ashley Bryant all had three hits and two RBIs for the Falcons. In game two, the team each scored twice in the first two innings, but a seven-run third helped the Falcons pull away, eventually winning 12-4 in five innings.
Rebekah Wiley had three hits with three RBIs.
Josi Tolentino added three RBIs, while
Ashley Bryant had two hits and one RBI.
Up next, the Falcons will play in the NCAA Tournament after earning the MAC Commonwealth's automatic bid.
Game One: Messiah – 10, York – 6 (10 inn.)
Brielle Rosario singled to start the game and stole second to move into scoring position.
Allie Book then delivered a two-out single to score Rosario, giving Messiah an early lead. York tied the game in the bottom half of the first, scoring one run on two hits.
Neither team scored in the second, and the Falcons got base hits from
Ava Fair,
Lucy Murphy, and
Fallon Feaser in the third, but they couldn't break the deadlock. York took their first lead of the game in the third, scoring one run on one hit to take a 2-1 lead.
Rebekah Wiley walked to lead off the fourth and was pinch ran for by
Mia Libby. Next,
Josi Tolentino reached on an error and
McKenna Bunting walked to load the bases with no outs.
Ashley Bryant then sent a single through the left side of the infield, scoring two runs and restoring the Falcons lead, 3-2. The Falcons scored a fourth run after
Brielle Rosario reached on an error.
After a scoreless fourth in the circle for
Fallon Feaser, the Falcons failed to score in the fifth. The Spartans then tied the game on a two-run homerun in the fifth.
Both sides were retired in order in the sixth, with the game tied heading to final inning. In the seventh,
Fallon Feaser and
Allie Book both picked up two-out singles to give the Falcons two runners on base.
Rebekah Wiley then reached on an error in the infield that allowed Feaser to score, giving Messiah a 5-4 lead. However, the Spartans would score one run in the bottom half of the inning to send the game to extras.
Ashley Bryant singled in the eighth, but the Falcons failed to score.
Kelli Durbin worked out of some trouble in the bottom half of the inning, putting up a zero to send the game to the ninth.
In the ninth,
Lucy Murphy got on base with a leadoff single and moved to second after a sacrifice bunt from
Fallon Feaser.
Allie Book then sent an RBI-double to left field, giving the Messiah a 6-5 lead, and picking up her 200th career hit in the process. However, once again the Spartans scored a run in the bottom half of the inning to extend the game.
In the tenth,
Ashley Bryant sent a one-out double down the left field line, and
Brielle Rosario got hit by a pitch with two outs in the inning to give the Falcons two baserunners.
Lucy Murphy reached on an infield single to load the bases and the
Fallon Feaser sent a two-RBI single up the middle to give Messiah an 8-6 lead.
Allie Book walked to reload the bases and
Rebekah Wiley picked up a two-RBI single to give the Falcons a couple insurance runs, making it 10-6. Kellie Durbin then pitched a scoreless frame to give Messiah the win, forcing a winner take all game three.
Stats
Allie Book,
Fallon Feaser, and
Ashley Bryant all had three hits and two RBIs for the Falcons.
Lucy Murphy added three hits, while
Rebekah Wiley had one hit with two RBIs.
Game Two: Messiah – 12, York – 4 (5 inn.)
The Spartans took an early lead, scoring two runs on two hits in the top of the first. In the bottom of the inning,
Fallon Feaser got on base with a two-out single and
Allie Book walked.
Rebekah Wiley then sent a two-RBI double to left field to tie the game.
York responded well, scoring two more runs in the second to retake the lead. In the bottom of the second,
McKenna Bunting drew a leadoff walk and was pinch ran for by
Mia Libby. Next,
Ashley Bryant drew a walk before her and Libby executed a double steal to both move into scoring position.
Brielle Rosario then singled through the left side to score both runners, tying the game 4-4.
Fallon Feaser came into the circle in the third and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. In the bottom half of the inning,
Allie Book walked to lead things off.
Rebekah Wiley singled up the middle and then
Josi Tolentino sent a two-RBI double to the right center gap to give the Falcons a 6-4 lead. Tolentino advanced to third on a passed ball and
McKenna Bunting reached base after a walk.
Ashley Bryant then singled to score Tolentino and
Ava Fair walked to load the bases, still with no outs in the inning.
Brielle Rosario reached base on a fielder's choice as another run came home, making it 8-4.
Fallon Feaser walked to load the bases and
Allie Book also walked, bringing in a free run for the Falcons.
Rebekah Wiley singled up the middle to tack on another run, and
Josi Tolentino was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring a run to make it 11-4.
After a scoreless top half of the fourth,
Ashley Bryant got on base with a leadoff single.
Ava Fair then reached base on an error, and as the throw got away Bryant came around to score to make it 12-4.
Lucy Murphy added a single shortly after, but the Falcons didn't add any more runs.
Fallon Feaser then shut down the top of the Spartans line up in the fifth to win the game and the MAC Commonwealth Championship.
Stats
Rebekah Wiley had three hits with three RBIs.
Josi Tolentino added three RBIs, while
Ashley Bryant had two hits and one RBI.
Brielle Rosario had one hit and three RBIs.
Lucy Murphy and
Fallon Feaser both added hits, and Feaser pitched three scoreless innings in relief.
Up Next
The Falcons will play in the NCAA Tournament after earning the MAC Commonwealth's automatic bid.
