The third seeded Catholic University of America baseball team posted an 8-6 victory over top seed and host Moravian College in the winner's bracket game of the 2011 Landmark Conference Championship Tournament at Gillespie Field Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Cardinals move into the championship round of the tournament on Monday at 12:30 p.m. needing just one win for the program's third Landmark Conference Championship. The Greyhounds, who had their 15-game winning streak snapped, will play second seed The University of Scranton in the final elimination game of the tournament at approximately 4:45 p.m.
Moravian had not lost a game since falling to Elizabethtown College on April 6th, and the Greyhounds had not lost to a Landmark Conference opponent at Gillespie Field since March 28, 2010, a span of 19 straight Landmark wins.
Catholic had the first scoring chance in the game in the top of the third inning. Junior second baseman Tim Mierzwa walked with an out and reached second base before Moravian recorded the final out of the inning.
Moravian also mounted its first scoring threat in the third inning with junior Dave Zubia being hit by a pitch and senior outfielder Jason Huber, pictured at right, hitting a single through the left side with two outs. After a passed ball moved the runners to second and third, junior catcher Austin Rock drew a walk to load the bases before Catholic ended the threat.
In the Cardinals fourth, junior first baseman Dave Grear reached on an error with one out and freshman third baseman Marc Hanna followed with a single but the Greyhounds would turn their second double play of the game to get out of the inning.
Catholic jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning. Mierzwa walked with two outs and stole second base. Senior shortstop LJ Travaglia also walked and a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. An error on a ground ball hit by junior outfielder Dan Sullivan allowed Mierzwa and Travaglia to score.
Sophomore outfielder Rocco Del Priore, pictured at left, led off Moravian's half of the fifth inning with a triple to right centerfield. Dave Zubia followed with an RBI single to center, and he moved to second on a ground out. After another out, senior outfielder Mike Zubia tied the game with an RBI double to right centerfield to score Dave Zubia.
In the top of the sixth, Hanna led off with a single and freshman outfielder Brendan Breslin followed with a single before a passed ball moved the runners to second and third. Sophomore catcher Mark Kalokitis connected on a one-out, two-RBI single up the middle to score Hanna and Breslin and give Catholic a 4-2 lead.
Junior first baseman Gregg Steinman started the bottom of the sixth with a double for the Greyhounds, but he would be stranded at third at the end of the inning.
Catholic added a pair of runs to its lead in the top of the eighth inning to move ahead, 6-2. Sophomore designated hitter Chris McCloud led off a with a single and stole second base, and Kalokitis singled. Mierzwa put down an RBI sacrifice bunt to score McCloud. After an out, Sullivan walked and junior outfielder Matt Grieb hit an RBI single to score Kalokitis.
Moravian would get the two runs back in the bottom half of the eighth to pull within 6-4. Senior designated hitter Jacob Millen and senior third baseman Jon Baltz drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. After a pitching change, Steinman was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Millen scored on an RBI ground out from senior pinch hitter Matthew Kensecki, while Del Priore followed with another RBI single to push Baltz across the plate. Steinman would be left at third.
The Cardinals would score twice in the top of the ninth inning to push their lead back to four runs at 8-4. Breslin hit a one-out single, and McCloud followed with another single. Senior AJ Ventura came in to run for McCloud. Kalokitis was hit by a pitch to load the cases for the Cardinals before Breslin scored on a wild pitch. Ventura would cross the plate on an RBI sacrifice fly off of Mierzwa's bat.
Rock started the bottom of the ninth for the Greyhounds with a single, and Mike Zubia, pictured at right, followed with another single. Millen reached on a fielder's choice that loaded the bases for Moravian before Baltz hit an RBI sacrifice fly to score Rock. Steinman singled to right field but Mike Zubia was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the inning. Freshman pinch runner Joseph Connell scored on an RBI single by freshman pinch hitter Matthew Gutkes. Catholic would end the Greyhound rally.
Moravian had a 13-12 edge in hits with Mike Zubia going three-for-five with an RBI. Dave Zubia and Steinman were both two-for-four for the Greyhounds while Del Priore was two-for-five. Breslin led Catholic with a three-for-five performance with two runs. Kalokitis was two-for-four for the Cardinals while Hanna and McCloud were each two-for-five.
Senior Ron Esposito earned the win on the mound for Catholic, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks to go with two strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
Sophomore Thomas Fenyak took the loss for the Greyhounds, allowing four runs, only one earned, on six hits and four walks to go with a strikeout in 5 2/3 innings.
