Rally Falls Short As Falcons Conclude Florida Swing With Loss
Posted: 3/18/2009
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Junior Sheldon Witmer blasted his third homer of the year, but Messiah couldn't complete a comeback.

Lakeland, FL — A somewhat disappointing Florida swing was capped in a 2-3 loss to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Wednesday, Messiah’s fourth defeat in its week-long, spring break stay in the Sunshine State.

The Trailblazers raced out to a 3-0 lead and — despite being outhit by a 9-4 difference — hung on in the final two innings to thwart a late Falcons’ rally.

Just one of MCLA’s runs were earned in the contest, as Messiah (6-10-1) committed four errors on the day.

Defensive miscues were aplenty during the squad’s southern swing, as the Falcons committed 30 errors in the team’s last seven games. Before the trip, Messiah had committed just 16 errors in 10 contests.

“The team had a players-only meeting on Tuesday night and while I don't know what was said or discussed, I do know the team had a different outlook and focus towards our game on Wednesday,” said Bryan Engle, Messiah head coach. “Nobody is happy about our results or how we've been playing and the upperclassmen on the team wanted to sit everyone together and hash things out and challenge guys to step up. As a coach, I'm a big fan of this as it shows leadership on the team and allows the guys to rally together or maybe challenge each other in an environment away from the coaching staff.

“While I was in the bullpen with our pitcher, (freshman) Nate Roten,I noticed a distinct difference in the players prep and warm-up,” he continued. “The communication, the sharpness and crispness was different than it had been at any point in Florida. That carried over into the game as the guys were vocal in the dugout and on the field, a change from the quiet demeanor that this group typically displays.”

Making his first collegiate start, Roten (0-1) tossed an impressive five innings, striking out three while allowing just four hits — en route to the singular earned run.

MCLA (6-1) got on the board in the bottom of the third, after the second of Messiah’s four errors landed a Trailblazer base runner with one out retired. MCLA’s John Ripepi then stole second and claimed third base on a passed ball, scoring on a groundout.

The Trailblazers then captured its 3-0 lead in the fifth, as a two-out single from MCLA’s Steve Sullivan drove in the only earned run of the game. The designated home team then tacked on another run following Falcons’ a throwing error, putting Messiah in a deeper hole than necessary.

“(Sullivan’s) hit came with a 2-2 count, so we were literally one pitch away from getting out of the inning being down 1-0,” Engle said. “Roten threw a very nice five innings and did the pitchers job: He gave us a chance to win but unfortunately we couldn't get runners on the base paths. When we did, we couldn't get them around.”

Such was the case for Messiah in the seventh inning, when the team loaded the bases with no outs retired. Freshman Thor Arnesen struck out looking on a pitch drawing jeers from the crowd — it appeared low — while a fly out and a groundout ended the half inning.

Despite stranding a total nine runners on base for the game, Engle’s squad continued to fight. A solo home run from junior Sheldon Witmer made it a 3-1 ballgame in the eighth inning, while singles from senior Ben Kirk and junior Jordan Zimmerman put Messiah in business with two outs retired. Freshman Wes Hollenbach then laced a shot to right field, but MCLA second baseman Anthony Russo was there to make a leaping stab.

“That may have scored two to tie it,” Engle said of Hollenbach’s rip. “It was a ball that was potentially headed to the right-center gap. He hit a bullet that their second baseman caught at the top of his jump.”

A last-ditch attempt at forcing extra innings nearly came to fruition for the Falcons in the bottom of the ninth, as sophomore Sean Hart singled to lead off the half-inning. He then advanced to second on a passed ball, and was eventually batted around on a two-out single from freshman Jon Brubaker.

With the winning run at the plate, Messiah’s rally ended, as senior Jonny Ebersole popped out to conclude the contest.

Roten was saddled with the pitching loss, as junior Elliott Thomas came on in relief (three innings pitched, four strikeouts and no hits allowed). Zimmerman and Brubaker each paced Messiah with two hits, while Witmer’s third long ball of the season was the Falcons’ only extra-base hit on the day.

“Elliot Thomas gave us three really strong innings, his best effort of his career at Messiah,” Engle said. “There are times when he shows the quality and caliber that he can pitch and this was one of those times. What we need from him is that consistent effort and quality and the ability to grind it out mentally and physically when his best stuff may not be there. Overall, we played fairly well on Wednesday. In a one-run game, the mistakes and missed opportunities once again get brought to the surface whereas in a larger margin of defeat, they can get swept under the rug. I thought we could've been more aggressive in our approach at the plate and there was a defensive miscue or two that cost us a chance to get out of an inning unscathed. Again, those are the types of things that really get magnified in a close game such as this one.”

Messiah will return to its campus late Thursday and begin preparations for its first MAC Commonwealth contests of the year Saturday, as the Falcons will host rival Elizabethtown College for a double-header. The first of two is slated to begin at 12 p.m.

“Without a doubt, Florida was not what we wanted in terms of results or our level of play,” Engle said. “As we often say, we have to continue to ‘turn the page’ and come back to the park with a good focus and effort. Knowing E’Town is coming up this weekend, we are excited to get into conference play.

“I told one of our players on Wednesday that I am encouraged to have confidence in the way the team will come to play,” he continued. “Throughout the early part of the season and especially in Florida, it was often a question of, ‘which team will show up?’ However, I think the meeting was a good thing with the players and caused them to have a bit of focus and hopefully will be a turn in the right direction for this year's group.”