By: Messiah Athletic Communications
EASTLAKE, Ohio – On Wednesday afternoon, the Messiah University baseball team fell to the third-ranked Warhawks of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 21-5 in game two of the Division III Championship Series to finish as the National Runner-Up. The Warhawks started the scoring early with five runs in the first two innings. The Warhawks offense continued to drive in runs with six runs in the fourth and five runs in the fifth to take a 16-0 lead. Both teams scored three runs in the sixth, with the Falcons scoring on a Drew Hurst two-RBI single and Evan Wagaman driving home a run with an RBI single. Both teams scored again in the eighth, with the Falcons scoring two runs on a two-RBI double from Nick Moyer to put the final score at 21-5. Evan Wagaman led the Falcons with three hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Drew Hurst and Nick Moyer each tallied a hit and two RBIs. Isaiah Parido, Dustin Isanogle, and David Martinez each added a hit. Christian Foltz threw 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
DIII Baseball Championship Series: Game Two: No. 3 UW-Whitewater 21, Messiah 5
Warhawks opened the game strong with a three-run home run in the top of the first to take a 3-0 lead.
The Warhawks added to their lead in the top of the second with two runs on an RBI single and an RBI double.
In the top of the third, Noah Barrall came into the game on the mound for the Falcons and threw a scoreless inning to keep the Messiah deficit at 5-0.
The Warhawks added six runs in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 11-0.
Wisconsin-Whitewater scored five more runs in the top of the fifth and three in the top of the sixth to extend their lead to 19-0 headed into the bottom of the sixth.
The Falcons looked to get runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. David Martinez led off the inning with a single to right center. After a fly out, Isaiah Parido hit a single up the middle to put runners on first and third and one out. After Jarrett Gordon loaded the bases with a hit by pitch, Drew Hurst hit a two-RBI single to put the Falcons on the board. Evan Wagaman then hit an RBI single to left center to put the score at 19-3 headed to the top of the seventh.
After a scoreless seventh, the Warhawks scored two runs in the top of the eighth to take a 21-3 lead.
The Falcons continued to battle in the bottom of the eighth. After a pop out, Evan Wagaman hit a single up the middle. After a strikeout, Dylan Beard reached first on a hit by pitch. Nick Moyer then ripped a two-RBI double to left field to put the score at 21-5.
Christian Foltz threw a scoreless ninth and the game ended at 21-5 to make the Falcons the 2025 National Runner-up.
2025 Season Recap
The 2025 Messiah University baseball team had a record-breaking season with a 39-16 overall record. The 39 wins broke the program record for wins in a single season that was set in 2024. The Falcons won their sixth Conference Championship in program history with two straight wins over York on Saturday, May 11. The Falcons then traveled to Randolph-Macon for the NCAA Regionals. The Falcons won all three games and defeated Methodist University, 9-2 to advance to the Falcons first Super Regional appearance in program history. The Falcons then went on to beat Salisbury University in two games to appear in their first ever College World Series. The Falcons cruised through pool one, winning all three games by a combined score of 33-14 to advance to the Division III Championship Series for the first time in program history. The Falcons fell in two games in the Championship Series to earn the National Runner-Up in their first ever appearance in the World Series.