Reading, Pa. (Mar. 24, 2017) - Sophomore Matt Briner ripped a one-out single to center in the bottom of the ninth to plate Nathan Sides with the winning run and give #17/19 Alvernia University (11-1, 2-0) a 4-3 win over Messiah College (5-7, 1-3) Friday afternoon in MAC Commonwealth baseball action at Angelica Park.

Ethan Francis drove in Ben Dubas in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score at 3-3, and Sides reached on a throwing error by the pitcher in the ninth advancing all the way around to third before Briner's one-out single.

Freshman Jarrad Graver picked up the win to improve to 2-0 throwing three innings without allowing a hit in relief of Dillon Dunne.  Briner went 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs.  Sides and Dubas both had two hits and two runs scored.

Sides singled and scored on a Briner single in the bottom of the third to open the scoring.  Messiah answered with a run in the top of the fourth opening the inning with a single and a run-scoring double.  A groundout moved the potential go-ahead run to third with one out, but Dunne was able to escape the threat with a groundout and a strikeout.

Alvernia regained the lead with a single run in the bottom of the fourth.  Dubas led off with a double to right center and Alex Salesky chased him home with a double down the left field line.

Messiah had runners at the corners with one out after a walk and an error in the top of the fifth.  The Falcons executed a safety squeeze to tie the game at 2-2 then drove in the go-ahead run with a ground ball single through the left side.

Alvernia--which left nine runners on base on the day--had runners on in the fifth and seventh, but couldn't score.

Graver entered to start the seventh and got the Falcons in order in the seventh and eighth.  Dubas singled with one out in the eighth and moved up to second when Salesky reached on a two-out error.  Francis pinch hit for Kyle Gaynor, and punched an 0-2 pitch to right to deliver Dubas from second with the game-tying run.

Graver made quick work of the Falcons in the top of the ninth and Sides opened the bottom of the ninth with a grounder back to the mound that was thrown wildly to first allowing Sides to reach third with no one out.  Mike Crilli struck out for the first out of the inning, and with the winning run on third with one out and defending conference Player of the Year Cam Coons looming on deck the Falcons decided to go after Briner who delivered an 0-1 offering to center for the walk-off win.

The two teams complete the three game series on Saturday with a doubleheader at Messiah.

Alvernia 4, Messiah 3