ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - On a beautiful day at The Yard on Sunday, Eastern Baseball completed its season series with the league-leading Messiah University Falcons. Despite an early six-run lead, two big home runs by Messiah's Isaiah Parido and five Eastern fielding errors proved costly in a 10-7 defeat. The Falcons (21-6, 11-1) scored eight unanswered on their way to their 11th conference victory.
Of the 10 runs given up by the Eagles, the last eight were all unearned. Additionally, after the Eagles recorded six hits and six runs in the first three innings, Messiah reliever Jadyn Martin shut the Eastern offense down. The junior allowed just two hits, one walk, and five total baserunners to go along with seven strikeouts in the final six frames.
The Eagles came out firing, scoring three runs in each of the first two innings.
Evan Barks got the scoring started with an RBI double to right field, scoring
Thomas Kozlusky, before
Luke Meehan's team-leading fourth home run of the year, a two-run shot over the center field wall, put the Eagles ahead 3-0.
In the second, after
David Hunsberger reached base on an error to begin the frame,
Connor Schilling later drove him home on an RBI groundout, before Kozlusky launched his second home run of the season, also a two-run shot, to increase the Eastern advantage to 6-0.
However, in the bottom of the second, Parido's first home, the third two-run shot of the afternoon, was a sign of things to come. The Eagles did get a run back in the third on Schilling's second RBI, but Messiah took control of the game from there. The Falcons scored three more runs in the fourth, all with two outs and coming after an Eastern fielding error, to cut the lead to 7-5, before Parido's second home run in the sixth, this one a three-run bomb, put Messiah ahead for good.
Messiah added single runs in the seventh and ninth to increase its lead to 10-7. For the second straight day, Eastern loaded the bases with less than two outs, but Martin shut the door with back-to-back K's to secure his first win of the season. Kozlusky and Schilling each finished with a pair of hits and RBIs.
Eastern (11-14, 4-8) will be back in action on Tuesday at Marywood. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
