PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. --- The Moravian College baseball team split a pair of games at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida on Wednesday as the Greyhounds defeated Ohio Wesleyan University, 12-5, before falling to Bluffton (Ohio) University, 5-4.
The Hounds pounded out 19 hits in the opening game against Ohio Wesleyan with senior third baseman Alex Bull going 5-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs while junior second baseman Nicolas Ampietro was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Freshman second baseman Tim Heard was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a pair of doubles while freshman shortstop Joey Ferolie and freshman outfielder Austin Markowski were both 2-for-4. Junior outfielder Anthony Gaetaniello added two hits as well for the Greyhounds and tied the single game record with four stolen bases in the victory.
Senior Anthony Zaloga started on the mound and allowed four runs, just one earned, on seven hits and no walks to go with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings of action. Senior Tommy Natale-Drown earned his first collegiate victory while pitching the final 4.2 innings with a run on five hits and a walk to go with one strikeout.
Neither team scored in the first two innings; however, Moravian senior first baseman Charles Savite recorded the first five putouts of the game for the Greyhounds to break Kevin O'Keefe's career mark of 1,085 putouts. Savite now has 1,102 career putouts after the two games on Wednesday.
The Battling Bishops took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning and the Hounds answered back in the bottom half on an RBI single from Gaetaniello. Moravian scored twice in the bottom of the fourth on RBI singles from Ampietro and Ferolie to take a 3-1 lead.
Ohio Wesleyan scored three times in the top of the fifth and once in the sixth to build a 5-3 advantage. The Blue and Grey pulled within a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Ferolie, and the Greyhounds took the lead for good with a five-run seventh inning. Senior designated hitter Cameron Leon drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly before Bull connected on an RBI single. Senior catcher Mike Roethke added an RBI single before Heard finished off the scoring with a two-RBI, pinch hit double.
The Greyhounds would tack on three more runs in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single from Bull, and RBI single by freshman catcher Steve Lazicki and an RBI double off of Heard's bat.
Moravian had 10 hits in its second game of the day versus Bluffton with Markowski and Roethke each going 2-for-3. Leon added two hits while Bull drove in a pair of runs.
Ampietro started on the mound for the Blue and Grey and allowed two runs, one earned, on eight hits and no walks to go with four strikeouts in seven innings of action. Sophomore Clay Weidemoyer took the loss while freshman Kevin Shields allowed a hit and struck out one in a third of an inning. Senior Hunter Guard tossed the final 1.2 innings with two strikeouts and a walk.
Moravian jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on RBI single by Savite and Leon. Bluffton scored single runs in the second and fourth innings to tie the contest at 2-2.
The Hounds moved back in front with two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-RBI double from Bull. Bluffton answered with three runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead, and Moravian nearly rallied as the squad loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning but was unable to score.
The Greyhounds will play their final two games in Florida on Thursday, March 10 as the squad plays Mitchell (Conn.) College at 2:00 p.m. and NCAA Division I Georgetown University at 6:00 p.m.
