HUNTINGDON, Pa. --- The Moravian College baseball squad swept a Landmark Conference doubleheader at Juniata College Saturday, winning 11-2 and 12-0, as the Greyhounds moved closer to a postseason berth.
The Hounds, now 17-18-1 overall and 10-5 in Landmark Conference play, had 12 hits in the opener with junior second baseman Ian Csencsits going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Sophomore shortstop Michael Miceli was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs while junior right fielder Carmine Palummo was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs. Senior left fielder Mike Mittl went 2-for-3 with his first home run of the season.
Freshman Eddie Olsen tossed a complete game on the mound, allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits and no walks to go with four strikeouts as he improved to 3-3 on the season.
The Blue and Grey jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Senior center fielder Austin Markowski led off with a double and scored on an RBI single from senior third baseman Tim Heard. Heard would race home on a wild pitch.
The Eagles cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom half of the second.
Moravian scored four times in the top of the fourth to push the lead to 6-1. Sophomore designated hitter Thomas Philipps reached on an error before Mittl singled. After the second out of the inning, Miceli connected on a two-RBI single up the middle to bring in Philipps and Mittl. Palummo and Csencsits followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to finish off the inning.
The Greyhounds would add five more runs in the top of the sixth for an 11-1 edge. Mittl led off with a solo home run down the left field line, his eighth career homer. Senior catcher Chase Rogers reached on an error and Miceli singled before Palummo ripped a two-RBI triple to center field that scored Rogers and Miceli. Csencsits followed with an infield RBI single to plate Palummo before Markowski finished off the inning with an RBI sacrifice fly that scored Csencsits.
Juniata would score once in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Moravian pounded out 18 hits in the second game with Csencsits going 4-for-5 with three runs. Markowski had a 3-for-5 game with four RBIs and a double while Heard went 2-for-5 with two runs.
Senior Rhett Jacoby and junior Connor Morro combined on the Greyhounds' second 12-0 shutout of the season. Jacoby started and improved to 2-2 on the season as he scattered two hits and a walk to go with eight strikeouts over seven innings of work. Morro tossed the final two innings with one hit and five strikeouts in seven batters faced.
The Blue and Grey scored the only run that the pitching staff needed in the top of the first inning when Csencsits tripled with one out and scored on an RBI ground out by senior first baseman Evan Kulig.
The Greyhounds added three runs in the top of the third for a 4-0 advantage. Palummo led off with a walk, stole second base and scored on an RBI single by Csencsits while Kulig connected on an RBI double to center field to bring in Csencsits. Markowski followed with an RBI single to chase Kulig home.
Moravian tacked on six runs in the top of the sixth for a 10-edge. Markowski drove in Philipps, Csencsits and Kulig with a three-RBI double, and Markowski raced home on an RBI bunt single from Mittl. Freshman pinch hitter David Bertolotti had an RBI double that brought in Heard while Mittl scored on an RBI single from junior catcher Ian Luberti.
The Hounds finished off the scoring with two runs in the top of the eighth inning. Heard singled with one out and moved to third on a pinch hit single by freshman Robert Roman. Junior Kole Rodrigues followed with a two-RBI pinch hit single to center field as Heard and Roman scored.
The Greyhounds will close out their three-game series in Huntingdon on Sunday, April 28 with a single game beginning at 12:00 p.m.
