Grantham, PA - What could have been a storybook ending for the Messiah Falcons was nothing more than another addition to the loss column.

Sophomore Jacob Sprengle's two-out grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning brought the Falcons to within two runs of the Dickinson Red Devils (11-5), capping off a furious late-game rally in the 11-9 loss. Ultimately, Messiah (5-11) couldn't overcome five errors that led to four unearned runs, proving to be the difference in the game once again.

The Falcons have lost three of their last four games despite averaging over nine runs of offense per contest, due mainly to an absurdly number of errors in the field. At 42 errors in 16 games, the Falcons have made exactly twice as many errors as their opponents, despite offensive percentages clearly showing Messiah has hit the ball better.

In today's non-conference contest, the Red Devils jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against Messiah starter Nate Roten, capitalizing on an error in the first inning, a two-run single following a pair of walks in the second inning, and another walk and RBI single in the third inning.

Roten (0-2) lasted four innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits and four walks. He struck out six batters.

The Red Devils tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning and another in the eighth, taking a commanding 7-1 lead against a Messiah team that mustered just six hits and one run in the first seven innings.

The Falcons pieced together four runs in the eighth on three hits, a walk, and two errors, catching a break of their own when both errors were made with two outs. In fact, the entire rally – which included six straight men reaching base – took place with two outs.

Heading to the ninth inning down just 7-5, Messiah let up four runs in the top half of the frame, beginning with a leadoff error that set the tone for both the inning and the day. Highlighting the offensive outburst from Dickinson was leadoff man Andrew Sterling who went 6-for-6 at the plate with three runs scored, a triple, and four RBIs.

Down six in the bottom of the ninth, Messiah's chances appeared bleak. Senior Wes Hollenbach worked a one-out walk, classmate Brown followed with a hit by pitch, and sophomore Paul Mellinger singled with two outs to load the bases and put the tying run in the hole. Sprengle then unloaded a blast to right field that cleared the fence easily, bringing Messiah to within two runs. It was Sprengle's second home run of the season, tying him for the team lead, giving him 21 RBIs (12 more than the next closest hitter).

Unfortunately, a called strikeout ended the game, dropping Messiah to 5-11 on the season.

Sprengle's 3-for-4 output with a double, home run, five RBIs, and a walk led the Messiah offense for the day. In all, the Falcons collected 11 hits and drew three walks at the plate, even hitting .417 (5-for-12) with men in scoring position.

The Falcons have Thursday off before playing hosts to Alvernia University in Friday's conference game, the first of a three-game weekend series with the Crusaders. Game time for Friday's matchup is slated for 3:30 p.m.