BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College baseball team ran its winning streak to 10 games with the squad's fourth shutout of the season as the Greyhounds blanked visiting Haverford College, 8-0, in non-conference action at Gillespie Field Wednesday.
The Greyhounds are now 16-4 on the year with their 10th straight win, and Moravian has now scored 187 runs halfway through the regular season.
"We don't really look at the 10 in a row, we just want to try and win every game," stated Head Coach Paul Engelhardt. "That's not going to last because it is baseball. I thought it was great that we could use five pitchers today. We call it a pie chart, and it has never gone that well. We had some guys that need some work before our conference games this weekend so everything worked out today."
The Hounds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Junior shortstop Colin Case hit a slow-rolling infield single to third base and would advance to second on a throwing error. After a ground out, junior outfielder Matt Hanson connected on a deep sacrifice fly to left field to chase Case across the plate.
Moravian added two runs with two outs in the home half of the fifth to push the lead to 3-0. Junior second baseman Alex Longernecker started the two-out rally with a single to center field and then Case drew a walk. Junior third baseman Ryan Luke ripped the first pitch he saw just inside the left field foul line and the ball rolled into the corner for the two-RBI double as Longernecker and Case scored.
"Colin has done a great job as a lead-off and he showed today getting on base in the first inning and scoring," Engelhardt said. It feels good to get that first run on the board. It feels good and you feel like you're ahead from the start. "You need to be strong up the middle in the field and we think Colin is one of the best shortstops in the conference."
The Greyhounds scored two more times in the bottom of the sixth for a 5-0 advantage. Sophomore first baseman Charles Savite led off with a walk and scored on an RBI pinch hit single by sophomore Alex Bull. Bull would come around to score from second base on a throwing error by the Fords.
Moravian tacked on three more runs in the seventh to push the lead to 8-0. Hanson had an infield single with one out and Savite followed with a walk. Bull collected his second hit of the game on another infield single to load the bases for the Greyhounds. After fighting off a two-strike pitch, freshman outfielder Anthony Gaetaniello cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple to the fence in right center field.
Moravian had an 8-4 edge in hits with Bull and Longernecker each going 2-for-2.
Senior Ben Hammel started on the mound for Moravian and struck out three of the six batters he faced in two innings. Sophomore Ian Carbone tossed the next two innings for the Hounds, allowing a hit and striking out one batter. Sophomore Hunter Guard pitched two innings with two strikeouts and a hit while senior Jason Jamula recorded a strikeout and gave up a walk and two hits in two innings of action. Senior Chris Soltys tossed the final inning for the Hounds, striking out one of the three batters he faced.
The Greyhounds are scheduled to return to action on Saturday, April 5 when the host Susquehanna University in a Landmark Conference doubleheader at Gillespie Field. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. of the opener with Moravian celebrating Senior Day before the game.
