BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Senior Alex Longernecker singled to center field in the bottom of the ninth to earn the Moravian College baseball team a 8-7 win over New Jersey City University at Gillespie field Friday afternoon, with the win Head Coach Paul Engelhardt became just the third coach in school history to reach 200 wins.
"It was nice to get the win," stated Engelhardt. "We have a few things we need to work on moving forward but it's nice to get some games in at home after dealing with the weather."
The Hounds out hit the Gothic Knights, 15-9, with junior catcher Mike Roethke going 3-for-4 with a school-record tying three doubles and four RBIs. Senior outfielders Justin Pilchman and Matt Hanson both were 3-for-5 on the afternoon while senior third basemen Ryan Luke went 2-for-3 with four runs scored.
The Greyhounds would use a staff game having each pitcher throw one inning. Sophomore Nicolas Ampietro would start on the mound for the Hounds while freshman Paul Roth, Adam Howard, Bryan Schoch, junior Tommy Natale-Drown, senior Chris Lansberry, junior Anthony Zaloga, and junior Ian Carbone all saw time on the mound as junior Brett Wagner closed out the game. Zaloga and Wagner both struck out two batters while Roth and Carbone went three up, three down.
NJCU took a quick 2-0 lead, but the Blue and Grey put two up on the board with Roethke's first double of the game scoring Pilchman and Luke in the bottom of the second.
Down 5-2, bottom of the fourth, Luke singled to start the inning. Longernecker singled to cut the lead while sophomore center fielder Anthony Gaetaniello hit a single for and RBI ending the inning trailing by one run.
Moravian would take the lead 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth. Pilchman hit a double and would later steal third and scored of a throwing error by the catcher. Luke would reach first on a walk, he would steal second to be in scoring position for Rothke's second double of the game.
NJCU answered back with another two runs to take back the lead, but again a Rothke double would hit in Luke to have a 7-7 tie game top of the eighth.
After a scoreless eighth inning and Wagner striking out two batters in the top of the ninth, the Hounds looked to end the game in regulation. Pilchman started things off with a single, bringing up Luke who laid down the SAC bunt to move the runner. After three doubles, the Gothic Knights took no chances and intentionally walked Rothke. With two outs, Longernecker stepped in and hit a single to centerfield scoring the run and ending the game, 8-7.
The Greyhounds return to Gillespie Field on Sunday, March 29 in a Landmark Conference doubleheader against Elizabethtown College with the first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.
