March 1, 2012

Box Score | Photo Gallery

BALTIMORE, MD - Visiting Messiah scored three runs in the fourth inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead and added an insurance run in the eighth after host Johns Hopkins had cut the lead to 5-4 as the Falcons outlasted the Blue Jays, 6-4, Thursday afternoon. Messiah picked up its first win of the season and improves to 1-3 with the victory, while Hopkins slips to 0-1-1 with the loss.

The Falcons trailed 3-2 entering the fourth inning, but used three doubles to turn the one-run deficit into a two-run lead. A Ryan Brown double to left center was followed by a double just inside the first base line by John Brubaker. The Falcons worked Brubaker to third and Jon Lapp to second before Jacob Sprengle's two-run double down the right field line plated them both to account for the 5-3 lead.

Hopkins got one back in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run to right by Chris Wilhelm, but Galen Halteman and Zach Adams combined to scatter just two hits in relief of starter Paul Broomell over the final five innings and Messiah scratched out an insurance run in the eighth on a ground out by Brubaker to account for the final scoring.

The Blue Jays sent the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Mike Kanen's deep drive to right field was caught by Derek Drake at the wall to end the game. Drake tracked the ball perfectly up the tricky hill at the warning track and snagged Kanen's drive a foot above the wall for the final out.

The Blue Jays had taken a 2-0 lead just two batters into the game on Kanen's two-run home run in the bottom of the first, but the Falcons answered in the top of the second with a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring double by Sprengle. Hopkins took its final lead of the game in the bottom of the third when Kyle Neverman scored on a wild pitch, but Broomell stranded runners at second and third and the Falcons took the lead for good an inning later.

Brown collected three hits and scored a run for Messiah, which also got two hits and three RBIs from Sprengle and two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs from Brubaker. Halteman earned the win as he pitched two perfect innings for the Falcons. Adams faced just 10 batters in the final three innings to earn his first save of the year.

Neverman and Wilhelm both collected a pair of hits for the Blue Jays, who left seven runners on base, including five in a three-inning span midway through the game. Starter Sam Eagleson took the loss for the Blue Jays as he allowed all five runs on six hits in four innings.

Johns Hopkins will return to action on Sunday, March 4 when the Blue Jays host Rutgers-Newark at 2 pm.

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