Hounds Split Doubleheader With TCNJ in Home Opener
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College softball team split a doubleheader with The College of New Jersey on Tuesday in the 2014 home opener, dropping the first game of the twin bill, 2-1, before bouncing back with a 7-4 win in Game 2.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
|
|
1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 7 | 1 |
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College softball team split a doubleheader with The College of New Jersey on Tuesday in the 2014 home opener, dropping the first game of the twin bill, 2-1, before bouncing back with a 7-4 win in Game 2.
The Greyhounds' record moves to 6-2 overall before Landmark Conference play begins this Saturday at Susquehanna University. The Crusaders were picked to repeat as conference champions in the preseason coaches' poll after ending Moravian's run of 13 straight conference titles – dating back to the Commonwealth Conference – in 2012.
Game 1
Junior first baseman Jenn Dalickas went 2-for-3 with the Greyhounds' lone RBI and senior pitcher Elizabeth Tillou threw 5.1 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball in relief, but the Lions held on to win a pitcher's duel by the slimmest of margins.
Moravian had the upper hand early, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Dalickas' RBI single to left field plated junior center fielder Dior George. Dalickas' hit was a blooper over the infielders, which easily scored George thanks to the junior swiping third base on the previous at-bat.
The Lions put back-to-back hits together to score two in the top of the second off sophomore starting pitcher Kiersten Cain, who took the loss to fall to 1-1. Tillou came on to finish the inning and retired six straight Lions before surrendering the only hit she would allow during her shift in Game 1. The senior hurler notched two strikeouts and walked zero as she gave her team a shot to come back.
"Tillou pitched very well," head coach John Byrne said. "It was a shame we couldn't reward her with a win by getting another run or two. Her pitching was a big positive today."
On the negative side, the Greyhounds stranded six runners during the comeback attempt that fell just short.
"You can't take called third strikes," Byrne said. "We made mental base running mistakes and we didn't get the big hit when we needed it. There were errors from our pitchers with too many walks; that will always come back to haunt you."
Tillou also picked up a single in three at-bats in Game 1, and was joined by senior right fielder Miranda Sergas and senior third baseman Rachel DeLucia in the hit department.
Game 2
Tillou again was lights out coming out of the Moravian bullpen, and this time made her mark on a Greyhound victory. The senior recorded a save – the fourth of her career – after pitching another 2.1 innings of scoreless softball. She has yet to allow a run in 13.1 frames of work this season, and in Game 2, she preserved the victory for sophomore starter Lindsay Sullivan, who improved to 3-0.
TCNJ rode the momentum from the first victory into their half of the first inning of Game 2, taking a 1-0 lead after scoring on a Moravian error. Sullivan proceeded to tame the Lions' bats over the next three frames, and got plenty of support from the Greyhound lineup in the process.
Sophomore center fielder Mary Schlosbon (2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI) led off the home half of the first with a triple down the right field line. She would cross home for the 1-1 tie after Sullivan's sacrifice fly to dead center field.
Senior outfielder Taylor Mihalik got the ball rolling in the second inning with a leadoff double. The senior went 1-for-2 with an RBI, two runs and a walk, but her one hit didn't tell the whole story in the Tuesday doubleheader.
"Taylor hit the ball hard in both games, even on her outs," Byrne said. "She's seeing the ball well and showing some power with her bat. She also continued showing her versatility by playing two different outfield positions very well today after catching a few games down in Florida."
Senior third baseman Leann Ventriglia placed a perfect bunt onto the Blue & Grey Field dirt and reached on a single before Schlosbon singled home Mihalik for the go-ahead run. Ventriglia would score to make it 3-1 on a TCNJ passed ball.
The Greyhounds poured on the runs in the third, getting RBIs from a Mihalik walk with the bases loaded and a Ventriglia double to the right-center field gap. The Greyhounds added two more on Lions gaffes to take a 7-1 lead heading into the fourth inning.
The Lions came roaring back in the top of the fifth with five hits and three runs. Tillou came on with two outs in the frame, and received a little help from her defense. Tillou allowed a single, and as TCNJ attempted to plate its fourth run of the inning, Mihalik gunned down a runner at home plate from left field to hold the score at 7-4.
Tillou allowed a hit per inning over the final two frames to get the save and preserve Moravian's sixth victory of the season.
Moravian will play two against the defending Landmark Conference champions at Susquehanna on Saturday. Game 1 is slated for 1 p.m. with the second to follow immediately after.
