ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Moravian College baseball team split a Landmark Conference doubleheader at Elizabethtown College Saturday, falling in the first game, 3-2 in eight innings, before winning the second contest, 14-1.
Moravian, now 11-11 overall and 5-3 in Landmark Conference action, had six hits in the opener with freshman shortstop Joey Ferolie going 2-for-2 at the plate.
Senior Ian Carbone started on the mound for the Greyhounds and tossed 5.1 innings with two runs, one earned, on seven hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts. Sophomore Bryan Schoch tossed two-thirds of an inning with a walk while senior Hunter Guard pitched the final 1.1 innings with a run on four hits and a walk to go with two strikeouts.
The Blue Jays had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning and added another run in the sixth inning for a 2-0 edge. Moravian scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to knot the score. Senior first baseman Charles Savite reached on an error to start the inning, and he would score on an RBI infield single by junior center fielder Anthony Gaetaniello. After Gaetaniello stole second, his tenth stolen base of the season and the 40th of his career, the seventh player in school history to reach the milestone, the Hounds scored when sophomore pinch runner La'Ron Smith raced home on a wild pitch.
Elizabethtown would win the game in the first extra inning with a run in the bottom of the eighth frame.
Moravian's bats would pound out 15 hits in the second game with freshman outfielder Austin Markowski going 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Savite was 3-for-4 as he moved into a tie for third in school history with 175 career hits while Gaetaniello was 3-for-5 with three RBIs.
Freshman pitcher Rhett Jacoby moved to 4-1 on the mound for Moravian as he allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out six batters. It was the third complete game of the season for Jacoby, and he now has 37 strikeouts in 36.1 innings of action in his debut season.
The Blue and Grey jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning in the second contest. Gaetaniello led off with a single before a bunt single by freshman outfielder Mike Mittl. After Markowski was hit by a pitch to load the bases, senior third baseman Alex Bull ripped a two-RBI double down the left field line. Savite added an RBI sacrifice fly to score Markowski.
The Hounds scored seven more times in the top of the third inning to extend the lead to 10-0 for Jacoby. Senior catcher Mike Roethke drove in the first run with an RBI single while freshman designated hitter Andrew Koenig followed with an RBI single. Gaetaniello drove in a pair of runs with a two-RBI single before Markowski emptied the bases with a three-RBI double to left center.
The Blue Jays scored their lone run in the bottom of the third, and Moravian answered with three runs in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI single from freshman second baseman Tim Heard, and RBI single by Gaetaniello and an Elizabethtown error. The Greyhounds finished off the scoring with a run in the top of the fifth when Markowski led off the inning with a solo homer to left field, his third home run of the season.
The two squads are scheduled to close out their Landmark Conference series on Sunday, April 3 with first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m.
