(Game 1) / (Game 2)
Widener's chances of repeating as co-Commonwealth Conference, regular-season champions took a major hit with losses of 3-0 and 6-5 at Messiah in Grantham, PA.
Widener (15-13, 4-4 CC) in game one managed just six hits, two of which came from junior starter Kim Dougherty (Belle Mead, NJ). Despite another solid outing, Dougherty (6-7) permitted three runs and nine hits over six innings with five strikeouts.
Jessica Rhoads was on fire for the Falcons (24-4, 8-0), striking out 12 and permitting just six hits and a walk over seven scoreless frames. Lindsay Hall lifted a sacrifice fly in the first inning, Abi Buchler notched an RBI double in the fourth and Jaclyn Merkel had a run-scoring single in the fourth.
Widener in the second game had a 5-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings. Sophomore Meg Phillips (Aston, PA) notched an RBI single in the second, junior Caitlin Callahan (Franklin Square, NY) later in the frame had a two-run single and sophomore Kelsey Shultz (Parker Ford, PA) lined an RBI single in the third.
But the Falcons came back to forge a 5-5 tie after five. They grabbed the lead in the sixth as Rhoads blasted a two-out, solo home run.
Rhoads (15-1) came on in relief in game two, striking out five and yielding just one hit and no walks over three innings. Merkel closed with three RBI.
Shultz (8-4) was charged with six runs and 10 hits over six innings for the Pride.
Widener on Wednesday hosts Wesley, beginning at 5:00 pm.
