PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. --- The Moravian College baseball team opened its trip to the 2019 Snowbird Classic with a 13-6 loss to Heidelberg (Ohio) University Sunday afternoon at the North Charlotte Regional Park.
The Greyhounds had 13 hits in the game and were led at the plate by senior outfielder Mike Mittl, who was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Senior third baseman Tim Heard was 2-for-3 with a run and a double while senior center fielder Austin Markowski went 2-for-4 with a run, a double and a triple. Senior first baseman Evan Kulig had one hit which was a two-run homer while junior right fielder Carmine Palummo and freshman designated hitter AJ Brosious each drove in a run.
Senior Rhett Jacoby made the start on the mound, allowing seven runs, five earned, on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters. Sophomore Rodney Berger tossed two innings while freshman Eddie Olsen pitched two-thirds of an inning in his first collegiate appearance. Senior Billy Roethke tossed a third of an inning while senior Brendon Caraway pitched one inning with two strikeouts and freshman Kyle Petsch tossed an inning with two strikeouts in his first career appearance.
Heidelberg took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning while the Greyhounds responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame to tie the contest at 2-2. Mittl hit a one-out infield single to get the Hounds going before Kulig connected on a two-run homer to left center field, the second home run of his career.
The Student Princes would move back in front with a run in the top of the second inning, three more in the third and one in the fourth frame for a 7-2 advantage.
The Blue and Grey would push a pair of runs across the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut it to a 7-4 game. Heard led off with a single, and junior catcher Ian Luberti connected on a one-out single. Heard moved to third on a fly out, and he would score on an RBI bunt single to the pitcher by Palummo. Mittl followed with an RBI single to left center field that scored Luberti.
Heidelberg would add five runs in the top of the seventh inning to extend its advantage to 12-4, and the Student Princes scored a single run in the eighth frame.
The Greyhounds added two runs in the bottom of the ninth to finish off the scoring. Freshman pinch hitter Elias Engelhardt drew a walk and scored on a throwing error on a fielder's choice hit by Markowski, and Markowski would race across the plate on an RBI single by Brosious.
Moravian will return to action on Monday, March 4 when the squad plays Bluffton (Ohio) University at 2:00 p.m. in the Snowbird Classic.
