CHESTER, Pa. – In a Sunday afternoon doubleheader between two MAC rivals, Widener softball fell to the Messiah University Falcons. The Falcons won 3-0 in game one and 6-0 in game two. Messiah only allowed one hit through both games.
The Pride are 7-11 in the regular season. They are 0-4 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST MESSIAH
Game 1
Kaylin Johnson led the way with two walks. On the mound,
Mikayla Fedele went six innings. She allowed six hits and three runs, but she struck out two batters.
The Pride's defense began the afternoon with a relatively-quick first inning. A runner was on second base for Messiah, but she did not advance further. Johnson was able to get on base in the bottom of the first. Although Johnson was walked, she was caught stealing second base. The second inning was easy for both defenses. Five of the six combined outs were groundouts. In the third, the Pride showed better offense. Two runners got on base due to a hit-by-pitch and a walk. However, Messiah retired the Pride on the next batter. The game was scoreless through three innings.
The Falcons started the fourth inning with a triple. The runner would score on an RBI single, giving Messiah their first run of the day. Widener's defense made plays in the top of the fifth. They caught three straight fly-outs to the outfield. The offense stalled once again in the fifth, as a Widener runner was caught stealing second base. Despite the lack of runs from the Pride's offense, it was still a 1-0 game. That is, until the sixth inning. An RBI double and an RBI single on back-to-back plays put the Falcons up 3-0. A Messiah defensive error in the bottom of the sixth gave the Pride a little momentum. Widener had runners on second and third base, but a double play ended the rally. After Messiah left two women on base in the top of the seventh, Widener had one more chance to score. Even though the Pride would load the bases, a groundout finished off the Pride. Messiah took the first game 3-0.
Game 2
Jalia Lawrence registered Widener's lone hit for the day.
Leah DiGiandomenico and Fedele each had one walk. Widener's pitchers struck out five batters.
Both sides did not see much success in the first inning offensively. DiGiandomenico was walked, but no one else got on base for Widener. An error by the Pride in the top of the second was good for a Messiah RBI, though, which broke the early scoring drought. The Falcons brought two runners home in the third. Consecutive groundouts had turned into RBIs. The Pride retired Messiah on a strikeout swinging. The Falcons led after three, 3-0.
The Pride's defense made a nice stop in the top of the fourth. With women on first and third base for Messiah, the Pride recorded a fly-out and a strikeout to end the half-inning. Although Widener's offense could not get going, Messiah continued their attack. The first batter of the fifth inning smacked a home run to increase the visitors' lead to 4-0. A scoreless sixth inning by Widener and Messiah led into the seventh, where the Falcons added two more runs. With bases loaded, a walk was good for an RBI. Although a fielder's choice at home plate got a potential scorer out, a Messiah RBI single made up for it. In the bottom of the seventh, the Pride finally broke through and recorded a hit. Lawrence singled to center field. However, a fly-out on the next play ended the game. Messiah won 6-0. They had shut-out the Pride through two games.
UP NEXT
The Pride conclude their home stretch with a doubleheader against the Penn State Harrisburg Nittany Lions tomorrow, Monday, April 3. The games are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
