GRANTHAM, Pa. – Widener Baseball took game one from the Messiah University Falcons, who have clinched the number one seed in the conference.
The Pride are now 20-19 on the season and 12-9 in the MAC Commonwealth.
BY THE NUMBERS GAME 1
- Ryan Madden led the way, going 2-4 with two doubles and four RBI's.
- Jack Balcer delivered a 2-4 performance with a double and two RBI's.
- Hayden O'Neill tossed a complete game for the Pride, striking out 10 batters.
BY THE NUMBERS GAME 2
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 1
- The Pride bats got the party started early as Jack Balcer drove one down into the left center gap to dive in the first run of the game. Ryan Madden followed that up with a double of his own to drive in two more and give Widener a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Messiah responded in the bottom half of the frame, hitting a solo shot to steal back some momentum. After a quiet second inning, the Falcons bats got rolling, as they scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead.
- The Widener bats came alive again in the top of the fifth, started off by a Jack Balcer RBI single and then immediately followed by a Kevin Bukowski RBI double to give the Pride a 5-4 lead. The Pride then added on two more, capitalizing on Messiah mistakes before Ryan Madden sent a double down the left field line to drive in two more and give Widener a commanding 9-4 lead. Hayden O'Neill would find his grove in the later parts of this game, only allowing Messiah to plate two more runs giving Widener a 9-6 win in game one.
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 2
- Messiah capitalized on early Widener mistakes to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Pride would tie the game in the bottom of the third with a Ryan Bauerle RBI single into left center. The Falcons took the lead right back, scoring one in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead. Messiah would add on three more in the bottom of the fifth.
- The Falcons would go on to score two runs in the fifth and three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 10-1 lead. The Pride would try to claw their way back into the games, as Myles Calderbank delivered single down the left field line to drive in two, but Messiah responded with three more runs sending the Pride home with a 13-3 loss in game two.
UP NEXT
The Pride will be back in Grantham, Pa. on Friday, May 2
nd for game one of the playoff series against Messiah. The time for first pitch is TBD.