SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- The second seeded Moravian College softball team was shut out by third seed The Catholic University of America, 3-0, in the opening round of the 2014 Landmark Conference Tournament being hosted by top seed Susquehanna University Friday.
The Greyhounds, who have dropped three straight games in the postseason for the first time, will play conference newcomer Elizabethtown College in the first elimination game on Saturday, May 3 at 10:00 a.m. The Blue Jays lost their opening round game to the host Crusaders, 10-2, in five innings as Susquehanna broke a 2-2 tie with eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Catholic needed just four batters to take a 2-0 lead with four straight singles off of Moravian starter sophomore Lindsay Sullivan. Sullivan would they retire the next nine batters she faced.
Moravian had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the first inning. After an out, sophomore center fielder Mary Schlosbon, senior right fielder Miranda Sergas and junior first baseman Jenn Dalickas connected on back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases. However, the Greyhounds were unable to score.
Schlosbon singled again with one out in the third, and she drew a walk with two outs in the fifth but was stranded at first base each time.
Catholic extended its lead to 3-0 with a run in the top of the sixth inning.
Dalcikas led off the home half of the sixth with a single but once again, the Greyhounds left the runner at first base.
Senior second baseman Eavan Matz doubled with one out in the seventh inning, and freshman left fielder Julie Siragusa followed with a single but Moravian was unable to score.
The Greyhounds had an 8-6 edge in hits with Schlosbon and Dalickas each going 2-for-3.
Sullivan suffered her first loss of the season in the circle, allowing three runs, two of them earned, on six hits while striking out two batters.
Saturday's first elimination game starts a long day for either Moravian or Elizabethtown as either squad will have to win four games to capture the conference title and the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
