• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Golf
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Wrestling

• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Field Hockey
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball

Sanford, FL – The Messiah College baseball team concluded its week-long spring break quest in central Florida Friday morning, handing Plattsburgh State University (New York) a 4-1 defeat in a nine-inning contest. The win was the Falcons’ eighth straight in the Sunshine state, while coming in slightly different fashion: After averaging 11.3 runs in its previous seven games, Messiah (12-6) utilized solid pitching and defense to turn away the Cardinals Friday.

“This was a tremendous Florida trip for us,” said first-year head coach Bryan Engle. “I thought we really came together and started playing very well at the end of the week. We’re starting to make a positive turn. Momentum aside, our guys are starting to feel good. You can tell we’re definitely enjoying being outside, and we’re definitely pleased with our results as well.”

Engle handed the game ball to sophomore Sheldon Witmer (2-0) in the Falcons’ final game of the southern swing, and the right-handed pitcher delivered: Aside from allowing a two-out home run in the bottom of the first inning, Witmer was virtually flawless, giving up just five hits while striking out 10 Plattsburgh State batters. He walked just two.

“I had a feeling early on that today would be a defensive game,” Engle said. “(Plattsburgh State) had a really good guy on the mound who threw well for them, and Sheldon really found a nice groove for us.”

Messiah got on the board first thanks to three singles in the team’s first four at bats, the last of which drove home senior Craig Mease off the bat of sophomore Jordan Zimmerman.

Witmer then tossed his only gaffe in the bottom of the inning, serving Plattsburgh’s number three batter a fastball over the plate on a 1-2 pitch. The Cardinals’ Todd Hughes cranked the serving over the right field fence, and the game was tied 1-1.

The Falcons then added single scores in the third and fourth innings, as a double from sophomore Jon-Mike Richards would lead to the team’s run in the former. A single from Mease drove home junior Jonny Ebersole in the fourth (he reached base via single as well), and Messiah led by a 3-1 score.

The game-changing moment may have come during the Cardinals’ offensive half of the fifth inning, however, as Witmer faced a bases loaded situation with two outs retired. With Hughes coming to the plate again – he homered in the first and singled in the third – Witmer finished the inning with a swinging strikeout, avoiding a dangerous possibility.

Engle’s club then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth, while Witmer got extremely comfortable on the mound: Including the strikeout to Hughes in the fifth, Witmer retired 10 of the Cardinals’ ensuing 11 batters, allowing just one base runner during that stretch via a hit-by-pitch in the eighth inning.

“Sheldon’s strikeout (of Hughes) in the fifth inning was a big turning point for us,” Engle said. “It was a big momentum builder at that point, and after that strikeout he really began pitching well. Sheldon changed speeds really well and hit his spots.”

After issuing a single to the Cardinals’ first batter in the ninth, Engle relieved Witmer in favor of senior Ben Jordan (1), who picked up his first collegiate save behind a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.

Richards paced Messiah offensively, going 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Mease finished 2-5 with a run scored and one knocked in, while sophomore Adam Ranck, Jordan, Zimmerman and Ebersole all singled.

Messiah will now return to campus to return to school work while taking a brief layoff, as the team will next travel to Arcadia University on Wednesday for a single game beginning at 3:30 p.m. That will be the Falcons’ last contest before MAC Commonwealth play, as the team will participate in its first league home-and-away with Albright College next weekend.

“We’re beginning to play well at the right time, as league play is what you always focus on,” Engle said. “It’s there where you play for a chance to get in the tournament and try to earn a berth in NCAA regional play. We’re excited about the opportunity.”