MECHANICSBURG, Pa.- The Juniata baseball team was unable to come back from a four-run sixth inning against MAC Commonwealth regular season champions Messiah on Monday afternoon, eventually falling 8-6.
Dakotah Snyder was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, one run scored, and a walk. Jace Irvin was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI, while Corey Daniels went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and stolen bases.
Hunter Thomas started on the hill for Juniata, going 5 and 1/3 innings with five earned runs, three strikeouts, and three walks.
The Eagles broke through with a run in the first inning. Zach Johnston walked with one out followed by a Michael Warren single to left. A wild pitch advanced both while Joey Woodrow plated one on a groundout to the shortstop.
The Eagles added another run in the second but stranded three runners aboard. Charlie Bakken walked followed by an Irvin single to get started, although the next two batters were retired. Snyder kept the inning alive on an infield single followed by Johnston scoring one on a single to left before a foul out ended the frame.
Messiah walked aboard to start the second, then leveled the scoreline with one swing on a home run to right center. Thomas recovered by retiring the next three batters.
A quiet third inning was followed by Messiah taking a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning. The first runner singled by was immediately caught in a rundown for the first out. The Falcons added one on another home run, this time to center field. A run of two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Juniata got the second out at a fielder's choice from Johnston at third base throwing home; then a flyout kept the gap at just one.
No one got into scoring position in the fifth inning, but a loud sixth inning followed. In the top half, Tim Coleman was hit, and Jordan Chui was walked aboard, although a pickoff caught Coleman out at second base. Snyder homered on the next at-bat to put Juniata back ahead 4-3.
Messiah rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth, starting with a single and a walk. A double plated both. With two outs, another batter was walked, followed by another bases-clearing double.
Each team scored one run in the seventh inning; Irvin scored one run on a one-out RBI double to left-center, while Messiah scored their run on a fielder's choice following a one-out triple to make it an 8-5 contest.
Juniata scored one run in the eighth inning following an infield error, walk, and wild pitch with one out. A Daniels sacrifice fly scored one run before a lineup ended the top half of the frame.
Robbie Pliszka worked out of trouble following a single, hit batter, and walk, stranding the bases loaded with a lineout to left in the bottom of the eighth.
The Eagles went down in order in the ninth inning.
Juniata plays their final home games of the regular season as they host non-conference Chatham on Thursday at 1:00 pm for a pair of seven-inning games.
