Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Photo Gallery (David Sinclair)

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Messiah College struck early in both ends of a non-conference softball doubleheader against Gettysburg on Tuesday and the Falcons made the leads stick, taking game one 9-3 and holding on for a 3-2 win in the nightcap at Bobby Jones Field.

Messiah (14-4) picked up three runs in the first inning of the opener, but Gettysburg (7-6) answered in the home half with back-to-back RBI singles by senior Adrienne Rahs and sophomore Maggie Maguire. The offense went cold after that, managing just one hit over the next five innings. Meanwhile, the Falcons added single runs in the third and sixth to jump out to a 5-2 lead.

The visitors took advantage of three errors by the hosts in the top of the seventh to bring across four more runs. Rahs notched another RBI single in the final frame to set the score.

Rahs finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run and freshman Emily Hall provided a pinch-hit double in the seventh for Gettysburg.

Krista Ammon tripled in the first run of game two and then came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Jaclyn Merkel to give Messiah a 2-0 lead after one frame. The Falcons added another run on a triple by Stephanie Schell in the third inning. Junior second baseman Katie Lang prevented any further damage with a diving catch on a line drive to her right to close the frame.

Gettysburg stranded runners in each of the first three frames before breaking into the scoring column in the fourth. Freshman Ashley Iannone plated the team's first run with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Junior Joy Hallfors scored Gettysburg's second run in the fifth after putting down a bunt and beating out the throw to first. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, she coaxed the left fielder into throwing to third base after a long fly out. The throw sailed into the Gettysburg dugout and allowed Hallfors to advance all the way home to cut the lead to 3-2.

Facing Messiah ace Sarah Dietrich in the final frame, Gettysburg put a pair of runners on base thanks to a lead-off single by Iannone and a walk to freshman Melissa Tighe. Dietrich closed the door and earned the save by getting Rahs to ground out to second base.

Iannone finished 2-for-2 in the nightcap, while Tighe reached base three times via a hit, walk, and hit-by-pitch. Junior Taylor Snyder allowed three runs on six hits in the loss.

Mallory Rutledge allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out two to earn the victory, while Dietrich ran her scoreless streak to 22 innings by pitching the final two frames en route to her first save of the season.

Gettysburg resumes play with a non-conference doubleheader at home against Susquehanna University on Thursday, March 29, at 3 p.m.