PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – The Moravian College baseball team may have the sound of ringing aluminum bats accompanying the return trip to Bethlehem after closing the Snowbird Classic in Florida by splitting a double header with John Carroll on Friday that saw a combined 46 runs and 61 hits.
The Greyhounds (6-3) dropped the first game of the twin bill with the Blue Streaks, 10-5, before bouncing back with authority in the second game for a 21-10 victory.
Moravian posted runs in nine of the 14 innings played on Friday.
Game 1
Juniors Colin Case, Ryan Luke and Matt Hanson picked up RBIs in the 10-5 setback, but could not deliver a win for freshman starting pitcher Nicolas Ampietro, who made his first collegiate start on Friday at South Regional Park.
Ampietro struck out three Blue Streaks in 4.2 innings, but John Carroll jumped on the Moravian rookie for four runs in the top of the first inning.
The Greyhounds fought back in the bottom half of the first with a two-run home run by Hanson, Moravian's first roundtrip of the season, which scored Luke after he doubled with one out.
The Blue Streaks added to their lead in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer of their own to take a 6-2 lead.
Case led off the Greyhounds' half of the frame with a triple and trotted home after Luke's RBI groundout to shortstop.
Three consecutive John Carroll batters recorded RBI hits in the top of the sixth to stretch the advantage to 9-3.
Case notched his RBI in the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle, and junior infielder Alex Longernecker scored in Moravian's next at-bat on a wild pitch to inch closer, 9-5. Longernecker continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-4 day at the plate.
John Carroll capped the scoring in its last frame of the first game with its second home run of the game, a solo shot that cleared the right-center field fence.
Sophomore catcher Mike Roethke went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the loss.
Game 2
Moravian boasted 12 different players with a hit and nine with at least one RBI in the 21-10 victory.
Luke went a perfect 4-for-4 at the dish with four runs scored and three RBIs. Sophomore first basement went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and two runs scored, while senior outfielder Joseph Connell batted 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Junior outfielder Justin Pilchman was one of nine Greyhounds with multiple hits after going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run.
The Greyhounds jumped out to a quick lead in Game 2, scoring two runs in the top of the first off an RBI double from Luke and an RBI groundout by Connell.
Moravian helped sophomore starting pitcher Anthony Zaloga improve to 2-0 on the mound with an eight-run top of the second inning. The Greyhounds batted around in the frame with senior second baseman Daniel Seitzinger batting in the first and eighth runs of the inning. Luke picked up a two-RBI single before Savite knocked an RBI single to center fielder.
Hanson's speed manufactured another run after the junior stole third and scored on a throwing error. Connell and junior designated hitter Joey DiSarno followed with RBI singles before Seitzinger's sacrifice fly plated DiSarno for the 10-1 lead.
The Greyhounds kept their foot on the gas, scoring seven more runs in the third and fourth innings off RBIs from Savite, Connell, Pilchman and Hanson.
With the Hounds leading 17-1, the Blue Streaks hung a five-spot on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Moravian quelled any chance at a John Carroll comeback with another three runs in the top of the sixth. Freshman outfielder Anthony Gaetaniello smacked an RBI single to score senior Kyle Spence. Pilchman got his second RBI of the game before senior catcher Matthew Gutkes plated Gaetaniello with an RBI single.
John Carroll got four runs back in the bottom half of the sixth, but Moravian had the last word in this wild shootout when Savite scored Pence on a sac fly to dead center field.
Moravian went 4-2 on its Spring Break trip to the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Luke and Savite lead the team with 13 RBIs apiece through the first nine games of the 2014 season.
The Greyhounds head back North to prepare for their scheduled home opener with archrival Muhlenberg College in the 2014 Matte Award game on Wednesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. at Gillespie Field.
