Baseball Rallies With Game Tying Four-Run Seventh in Game Three Barnburner

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

GRANTHAM, PA (April 21, 2012) - Game three between Arcadia University Baseball and Messiah College was nothing short of a barnburner. Arcadia saw their two leads challenged twice by the Falcons but put up a four-run comeback in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 11 aside. Messiah would stun the Knights in the home half, winning the game on a walk-off walk, to steal the game 12-11 while taking the Commonwealth series three games to none.

Messiah won today's opener 8-2 and Friday's series opener 13-4 at Arcadia's Erny Field.

On Friday, Arcadia fell down by 13 runs but was able to push four runs across the board in the bottom of the eighth inning.  It was not enough to overcome Messiah's productive day at the plate however, as the visiting Falcons took the series opener by a 12-4 final. Mike McElhatton '12 had a 3 for 5 day at the dish to lead the Knights with 1 scored and 1 batted in. Sean Morris '12 tacked on a two-run double (1-2) while Pat Kwiatkowski '12 went 2-5 with a run scored. The loss went to starter Adam Planamento '12 (3-3) through one and one-third innings pitched.

In today's opening game, the Falcons went up 3-0 to start the fifth inning before the Knights dug in and helped themselves to a run when singles by Kwiatkowski and Smith led to a scoring sac fly from McElhatton. Messiah answered in the home half, scoring three runs on three hits to take a 6-1 lead and allowed Arcadia just one more tally in the top of the seventh, an unearned run for Mark Bowman '12 to make it an 8-2 final. Starter Steve Romond '12 worked three and one-third frames on the mound for Arcadia (15-19, 5-9 CC) allowing 3 earned off 7 hits, 3 walks while striking out 2.

Game two starter Jordan Hofferman '13 entered today's series finale tied for second against his Commonwealth counterparts with 5 wins. He would last through three and two-thirds innings, and was relieved by Steve Sciortino '15 in the fourth with Justin Simpson '14 working the final two and two-thirds for the Knights. Simpson would take the loss for the Knights.

The finale showcased steady scoring by both teams, each pushing two across in the first inning. Messiah game three starter Paul Broomell had a shaky start, hurling two hit-by-pitches around a walk to load Arcadia's bags. The Knights took full advantage, using an RBI single to right from Jerry Smith '13 to knock in their first run, getting their second on a hit into a double play. Messiah plated two run-scoring singles to deadlock the game at 2-2 after one.

A double to left center from McElhatton ignited the Knights in the second and he would be brought home to score off a double to right center from Jay Zehring '14. Arcadia scored another run in the third to go up 4-2 but the Falcons had an answer with two more run-scoring singles to knot the score back up at 4's.

The hosts were finally able to push ahead in the fourth, scoring three runs for a 7-4 lead but Arcadia remained poised and negated Messiah's lead, pushing three runs across for another tie ballgame at 7 aside after the top of five. After Messiah dealt two walks to AU they thought they had the Knights backed into the corner with two outs away, yet Arcadia pounded out three straight singles, the first to Bowman to load the bases. Kyle Jackson '12 sailed a two-run single to right center and Nick Petroski '13 followed with an RBI poke to left as the Knights refused to go away in hopes to salvage a game from the series.

True to form for game three, Messiah went right back at it in the home half of the fifth with another three-run frame to take an 11-7 advantage. The sixth inning came and went with no change in score setting the stage for a game-deciding seventh and final inning.

With their heart of the order up to the challenge, Arcadia responded with a four-spot seventh to tie the score at 11's, forcing Messiah to win it in their last at-bat. With runners on second and third for Arcadia, Simpson unleashed a two-run double to left center on two outs that was followed by Smith and an RBI ding to right that allowed Messiah just an 11-10 margin.  Messiah's one-run lead quickly fell by the waste side when they dealt a walk to David Jacobs '14 and made an infield error to load the bags. Sean Morris '12, who came through with a scoring hit in the series opener on Friday, delivered another, ripping the seams of the ball with a run-scoring single that brought in Smith to tie the game.

Messiah didn't use a big hit to win it in the seventh, instead they took advatage of a series of Arcadia miscues that allowed the bases to be loaded. Straight hit-by-pitches led off the inning, followed by the first of two walks to put three Messiah ducks out on the pond. The game would end on a walk-off walk on Messiah's fifth batter with the Falcons edging out the 12-11 decision.

Arcadia stands at 15-20 overall (5-10 CC) while the Falcons improve to 14-18 overall (8-7 CC). The Knights play their final out-of-conference game at Wesley College on April 25 then open their final Commonwealth series at home against Albright on April 27.

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