BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 Grantham, Pa. (April 2, 2014) – Alvernia University (10-6, 2-2) fell short against the Messiah Falcons (11-5,4-0) on Thursday, dropping game one 1-0 and the night cap 9-5 in Commonwealth Conference play.

In game one, a one-run sixth inning determined the outcome of the game. The Falcons used a solo homerun in the bottom of the inning to post their only run of the game.

The Crusaders had four hits in game one, leaving runners on scoring position in the second and fourth innings.

Junior Brittanie Wolfe () took the loss on the mound, giving up seven hits.

In game two, Messiah took an early lead, going ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Alvernia responded in the fourth, posting two runs in the top of the inning. Senior Amanda Galanti (Red Bank, NJ / Marine Acad. Of Sci/Tech) led off the inning with a single to right and advanced to second on an error. While the Falcon's went for Galanti on Amanda Turner's (New Hyde Park, NY / New Hyde Park) ground ball to short, it left the Crusaders Turner on first. After Aly Shilling (Blue Bell, Pa. / Christopher Dock) hit a ground ball to third to move Turner, junior Felecia McKenna (Williamstown, NJ / Williamstown) double down the right field line to plate the Crusaders first run of the game. McKenna was then able to score when Messiah's shortstop made an error on a hard ground ball by Rachel Fritz (Kenhorst, Pa. / Governor Mifflin), taking a 2-1 lead.

Alvernia tacked on another run in the fifth as the Falcons committed another error. After Samantha Penk (Lincroft, NJ / Middletown South) was hit by a pitch, Katie Manowski (Grasonville, Md. / Kent Island) moved her over to second. Galanti made solid contact again, this time to third, and Penk advanced home on the error.

Messiah did not settle though, capitalizing on a Crusader error to post two runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game 3-3.

The Crusaders quickly jumped ahead again in the top of the sixth, as Shilling launched a solo shot to left center to reclaim the lead 4-3.

However, Messiah again took advantage of an Alvernia error in the bottom of the sixth. After reaching by error to start the inning, the Falcons put together hits to take a 6-4 lead. Messiah then extended its lead on a three-run homerun to go ahead 9-4.

Alvernia returns to action on Saturday as it continues Commonwealth Conference play against Arcadia.