Grantham, Pa. - Host Messiah College rallied for a 3-2 win in the opening game of Thursday's non-conference softball doubleheader against Gettysburg College before shutting out the Bullets in the second game, 5-0, to complete the sweep at Starry Softball Field.
 
Freshman pitcher Paige Forry (Reading, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) struck out a season-high 10 batters in Thursday's first game and held the Falcons to just three singles in the contest.
 
Sophomore Giovanna Komst (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry High School) went 5-for-8 on the day with a run scored to lead Gettysburg's offense.
 
Game 1
 
The Falcons (24-12) won Thursday's first game despite committing five errors and generating just three singles off of Forry.
 
Following three scoreless innings to start the opener, the Bullets (16-16) broke the deadlock in the top of the fourth as sophomore Julia Schinik (Osprey, Fla./Watchung Hills Regional) hit a two-out single to right that scored freshman Elliana Hopple (Collegeville, Pa./The Episcopal Academy) from second.
 
Komst led off the visitor's fifth with a base hit to center and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Julia Smith (Marydel, Md./Queen Anne's County). Komst then advanced to third on a groundout from junior Jess Campana (Brick, N.J./Saint John Vianney) before scoring Gettysburg's second run when junior Olivia Moser (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) reached on an error by the Falcons' center fielder.
 
Messiah rallied with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, using two hits and two hit-batters to level the score at 2-2.
 
In the home sixth, the Falcons put runners on the corners with one out and an error by the Bullets on a stolen base attempt allowed the eventual game-winning run to come home. 
 
Sophomore Bailey Quinn (Hanford, Calif./Robinson Secondary School) led off the top of the seventh with a single, and Komst followed with a base hit of her own to give Gettysburg a pair of baserunners with nobody out. 
 
Messiah recorded two outs without any runners advancing before Moser reached on an error to load the bases, but the Falcons escaped the jam with a game-ending flyout.
 
Forry (9-6) suffered the hard-luck loss for the Bullets despite reaching double-digit strikeouts for the first time in her career. The freshman surrendered three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks.
 
Komst finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored while freshman Lauren O'Leary (Manasquan, N.J./Jackson Memorial) delivered the only extra-base hit of the game, a second-inning triple.
 
Gettysburg doubled up Messiah in hits for the game, 6-3, and committed two errors to five for the hosts. The Bullets stranded nine runners while the Falcons left six on base.
 
Game 2
 
Messiah used a four-run third inning in Thursday's nightcap to take control of the game to pull away with the sweep.
 
The Falcons used two hits and took advantage of a Gettysburg error to take a 4-0 lead in the home third. The hosts opened the scoring with back-to-back RBI singles, added a third on an RBI groundout, and generated a fourth run on a sacrifice fly.
 
The Bullets stranded a pair of runners in both the fourth and fifth innings as they attempted to climb back into the game before Messiah was able to tack on another run in the home fifth courtesy of the Falcon's third RBI single of the game.
 
Gettysburg again outhit Messiah, 8-6, led by Komst's 3-for-4 performance. Campana, Moser, Quinn, sophomore Allegra DeCandia (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge High School), and freshman Katherine Speltz (East Greenwich, R.I./Moses Brown School) also added base hits for the Bullets in the loss. 
 
Junior Jasmin Herrera (Hollywood, Fla./Cooper City) (3-5) suffered the loss in the pitching circle after surrendering two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one.
 
Freshman Audrey Wright (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) tossed an inning and yielded two runs on a pair of hits while sophomore Megan Hughes (Woodstock, Md./Marriotts Ridge) went the final three innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits while picking up one strikeout.
 
The Bullets left nine runners on base and committed two errors while the Falcons stranded three baserunners while being charged with one error in the game two victory.
 
Up Next
 
Gettysburg wraps up the regular season on Saturday by hosting Haverford College in a Centennial Conference doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. The Bullets need to sweep the Fords and get some help to earn a berth in the conference playoffs.