Squad Gets On Winning Side In '09; Sweeps Randolph-Macon

Ashland, VA — Some quality baseball and a bit of drama helped Messiah record its first wins of 2009 Saturday, as the Falcons swept a double-header at Randolph-Macon College in 4-3 and 5-1 decisions.

Utilizing an exciting double steal to help salt away the opener in eight innings, Messiah (2-2) cranked out six hits while relying on steady pitching in the nightcap — giving up only four total runs to a Yellow Jackets’ squad averaging 6.8 runs in six games coming in.

“First and foremost, to get a win under our belt was good,” said Messiah head coach Bryan Engle, “but to do it against a team the quality of Randolph-Macon was outstanding. We competed in two well-played games today. Overall, I thought the key was playing fundamental baseball. We only had one error on the day, we did the little things at the plate and we ran the bases well. We just seemed much more comfortable – in every aspect – than we did last week.”

Opening the season with a pair of losses at the University of Mary Washington last Saturday, Engle realized he’d need an improved effort out of his squad facing a Randolph-Macon team that was receiving votes in the D3baseball.com pre-season Top 25 Poll. The 2008 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Champions, the Yellow Jackets returned all but four players off last season’s 25-17 club.

Messiah got on the board first to start the day, as a leadoff double from freshman John Brubaker was batted around off a single from junior Jon Shenk in the top of the third. Randolph-Macon responded with a score in its half of the fourth and another two runs in the bottom of the fifth — putting Messiah behind by a 3-1 score.

Engle’s club came up clutch in the top of the sixth, however, as three straight hits to open the stanza would eventually result in a pair of runs. Following a Yellow Jacket pitching change, Shenk singled and junior Jordan Zimmerman doubled, the latter driving in Shenk. A single from senior Ben Kirk then moved Zimmerman over to third, with a ground out from junior Alex Lentz eventually pushing Zimmerman across.

Following an impressive three up, three down pitching performance from sophomore Travis Thome in the sixth — he finished allowing just one walk while striking out three in six and one third innings — Engle inserted freshman Zach Adams with one out and a runner on first in the bottom of the seventh. The southpaw then forced a fielder’s choice and a fly out to get out of the inning, extending the game to extra time.

The Falcons did not waste time, pushing across the magical fourth run in the top of the eighth. With two outs retired and runners on first and second via walks, Engle called for the rare double steal. Running from second, Kirk slid in hard to third base, but the throw from Yellow Jackets’ catcher Jay Lichter was high. As the ball trickled into the outfield, Kirk sprinted across the plate for the unearned score.

Messiah completed its drama-packed win with an impressive pitching finish from Adams (1-0), as the sophomore recorded his first collegiate win by taking down the meat of Randolph-Macon’s lineup via fly out, ground out and strikeout.

“This game had a regional feel to it,” Engle said, “from the way it was pitched to the way it was played to the way it was coached. Every at-bat felt important, and it was. I thought Travis Thome really bounced back well from last week, and Zach Adams did a phenomenal job. To come in with a runner on base in the bottom of the seventh and then shut down (Randolph-Macon’s) three, four and five hitters in the bottom of the eighth was just outstanding.”

Messiah got five of its six total hits from the top of its lineup, with Shenk leading the way going 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Zimmerman’s sixth-inning double helped to a 1-4 line with a run scored and an RBI. Senior Johnny Ebersole collected a single at the leadoff position, while Brubaker’s double was Messiah’s only other extra-base hit for the game.

In the nightcap, more solid pitching and another strike-first offense helped pave the way for the 5-1 win. Sophomore Eric Spring (1-0) recorded his first collegiate pitching win, going four full innings in a starting role.

Spring’s efforts were bolstered by two runs in the third and another in the fourth, as five Falcon batters accounted for the team’s six total hits. A two-out triple from Zimmerman drove in Shenk and junior Sheldon Witmer in the former — both reached base via walk — while a leadoff double from Lentz was eventually plated in the fourth.

Randolph-Macon finally got some action going in its half of the fourth, but Spring was able to get out of a two-out, two-on situation with just one run allowed.

Messiah then responded with two more runs in the top of the fifth inning highlighted off yet another triple — this time off the bat of Witmer. A single from Kirk eventually pushed Witmer across, while the junior right hander was able to pick up his first pitching save of the season in coming in for Spring in the bottom of the fifth.

“I thought the key to the second game was our being able to get two back after they put one up in their half of the fifth,” Engle said. “It was good to see Eric Spring get his first pitching win. He was what I like to call ‘effectively wild.’ He had seven walks, but he only gave up two hits and was around the zone enough to be effective. We played some good defense behind him, too, which helped.”

Zimmerman and Witmer’s triples highlighted the contest offensively, as Zimmerman knocked in two runs while Witmer finishing with one RBI. Kirk went 1-2 with an RBI, while Ebersole was again effective in the leadoff position, going 2-4. Lentz finished with a double, scoring a run as well.

“The nice thing about today is that we had guys step up in varying ways,” Engle said. “We had some good pitching performances, and we had some young guys contribute in subbing roles. I was really pleased with our overall approach. Maybe it was being in a hotel or just getting to spend some time together, but I thought that we were much more ready to go mentally than we were last week. We had a plan and a purpose. Being a young team we’re going to continue to build on that, but today showed us we have a good nucleus and have a chance to be a good team.”

The Falcons will return to the field next Saturday, when the team travels to Bridgewater College for another double-header. The Eagles swept Messiah last season by 1-4 and 11-12 scores. Game time for the first of two is set for 12 p.m.