CHESTER, Pa. - The Widener baseball team scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to come back and beat Messiah, 12-6, and secure in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament semifinals on Tuesday afternoon at the Widener University baseball field.
With the win, the fourth-seeded Pride have a chance to make their first championship game since 2019. The Pride will face top-seeded Lebanon Valley in a best-of-three semifinal series at Lebanon Valley.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST MESSIAH
- Trailing, 6-5, the Pride put together its big rally in the eighth after loading the bases via walks from Justin Costanzo and Nick Barenz and a hit by pitch from Bryce Fremgen. Then, Andrew Yates smacked a pinch-hit double to right center to bring home Costanzo and Barenz to give the Pride a 7-6 lead.
- Three batters later, Aaron Nuble brought home another run after drawing a bases-loaded walk. In the next at-bat, Anthony Boccio hit a two-run single and Costanzo hit a two-run double in his second plate appearance of the inning to make it 12-6.
- In the ninth, the Pride managed to put the game away after Zachary Coluccio recorded a scoreless inning. Coluccio picked up the win in relief for the Pride, allowing only one earned run on three hits while fanning three.
- Before the big rally in the eighth, the momentum started shift for the Pride in the fifth after a two-run RBI homer by Matt Samson and a Boccio RBI single cut Messiah's 5-1 lead down to one.
- Samson led the Pride at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored and one walk. The senior right fielder also had an RBI single in the second inning. Boccio went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, one run scored and one stolen base.
UP NEXT
Widener continues tournament play as they face #1 seed Lebanon Valley College in a best of three series Friday and Saturday at LVC.
