YORK, Pa. - The York College softball team picked a pair of road victories over Messiah on Sunday to complete the four-game opening weekend sweep over the Falcons. The Spartans edged out a 4-2 victory in game one of Sunday's doubleheader and closed out the day with a convincing 6-3 triumph.

Team records

York 4-0 (4-0 MAC)

Messiah 2-6 (2-6 MAC)

Game 1

York 4, Messiah 2

WP: Taylor Lindsay (2-0)

LP: Madison Walter (1-2)

How it happened

After threatening in the first two innings and coming up empty in the run column, the Spartans finally broke through in the third courtesy of an Alyssa Harhigh RBI-triple. Shyla Pastore led off the inning with an infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch to set the table for Harhigh who came through in the clutch.

Working with a one-run lead, Taylor Lindsay carried the Spartans through the first six innings as she tossed six-straight shutout frames and surrendered just one hit. York gave their ace some insurance in the seventh with three runs on three hits. Pastore started the scoring with a RBI-double that drove in Elle Meyer. Daphney Adams brought in two more runs later in the inning on a sacrifice fly combined with a Falcon error.

Messiah spoiled Lindsay's second-straight shutout bid of the season as Brynne Baker poked a two-run homer over the left field fence in the seventh. Lindsay would go on to retire the next two batters in order to seal the victory.

Game 2

York 6, Messiah 3

WP: Shyla Pastore (2-0)

LP: Madison Peters (0-1)

Sv: Taylor Lindsay (1)

How it happened

The Spartans jumped out to an early lead as they put up four runs on three hits in the second inning. Natalie Decena worked a bases-loaded walk to bring home Hannah Vogt for the game's first run. Messiah managed to get an infield pop up for the second out of the inning, but Pastore worked another bases-loaded walk and Harhigh found some two-out lighting as she smoked a single up the middle to bring in Taylor Coon and Decena.

After threatening in the fifth and coming up empty, the Spartans extended the lead with two more runs on two hits in the sixth. Coon led off the inning with a double and Decena followed by reaching on a Falcon error. Harhigh cleaned up the bases with a two-run double down the left field line.

Pastore and the stellar Spartan defense silenced the Messiah offense through the first five-and-a-third innings before the Falcons broke up the shutout courtesy of a three-run double by McKenzie Shannon. After surrendering a walk to the next batter following the double, Lindsay replaced Pastore in the circle and struck out the final two batters in the inning. Lindsay then went on to retire the final three batters in order in the seventh to pick up her first save of the season.

Up Next

The Spartans stay on the road as they travel to Widener on Saturday for a Commonwealth doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

Notes

York has now started 4-0 in each of the past two seasons … the Spartans are 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 2011 … York posted their first doubleheader sweep in a conference-opener since 2018 … the Spartan defense has been key to the team's success this season as they have yet to commit a single error or allow a passed ball, and have turned three double plays through the first four games ... Taylor Lindsay started the season by tossing 14-and-a-third straight scoreless innings as she is averaging just over 10 strikeouts per seven innings so far this season … Alyssa Harhigh led the Spartan offense in all major statistical categories on the weekend including a .583 batting average, a .667 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage.