(Game One) /
(Game Two)
Sophomore Casey Hargadon (Wallingford, PA) ignited a seventh inning rally with a one-out, two-run homer in game two, but it was not enough as Widener suffered a 4-3 Commonwealth Conference defeat to seventh-ranked Messiah, following a 3-0 loss in the opener in Chester, PA.
Hargadon's round tripper gave Widener its first two runs of the day and cut its deficit to 4-2. Senior Meg Phillips (Aston, PA) followed with a walk and advanced to third on a base hit from sophomore Jody Salvatore (Williamstown, NJ). Salvatore reached second on the throw to third, putting the tying run in scoring position with just one out.
Sophomore Jen Nance (Lansdowne, PA) made it 4-3 with an RBI ground out, leaving Salvatore just 60 feet away from tying the score. Kelsey Shultz (Parker Ford, PA) was intentionally walked, putting the winning run on base for fellow senior Astyn DiNorscia (Parkesburg, PA). But DiNorscia's ground ball towards the middle was scooped up by Abi Buchler and flipped to second for the final out.
After three scoreless innings, Messiah scored once in each of the last four innings of game two. Stephanie Schell got the Falcons (24-4, 6-2) on the board with an RBI single in the fourth, and Sara Seneca doubled home another in the fifth to make it 2-0. Jacki Merkel led off the sixth with a home run to left, and Buchler's sacrifice fly in the seventh gave Messiah what proved to be the winning run.
Jocelyn Hickey (8-2) recorded the win, allowing just four hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings. Sara Dietrich earned her second save of the year and finished with two hits. Ashley Lehman also finished with two hits, and Merkel scored two runs.
Shultz (10-6), who pitched all 14 innings of the doubleheader, also held Messiah scoreless for the first three innings of game one. Krista Ammon gave Messiah a 1-0 lead in the fourth, sending a two-out, RBI double down the right field line. Lehman added another two-out, RBI double in the fifth, and Ammon capped the scoring with her second RBI double of the game in the sixth.
Jessica Rhoads (8-1) kept the Widener hitters off balance for most of the contest. She struck out five, allowing just three hits and one walk in the complete game victory.
Salvatore totaled three hits on the day for the Pride (14-14, 4-4).
Widener on Saturday is scheduled to face Alvernia in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader in Reading, PA, beginning at 1:00 pm.
