BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College softball team clinched its 21st straight postseason appearance with a 14-3, five-inning victory in the first game, and the Greyhounds would rally for a 7-4 victory in the second contest to sweep Juniata College in Landmark Conference action Saturday at Blue & Grey Field.
The Hounds are now 22-4 overall and 9-1 in Landmark Conference action. The squad will be participating in the postseason in two weeks for the 21st time in the 22-year tenure of Head Coach John Byrne.
Freshman Josie Novak earned her tenth win of the season in the opener as she allowed three runs on three hits and a walk to go with six strikeouts.
Moravian had 10 hits in the first game from nine different players with sophomore left fielder Julie Siragusa going 2-for-3. Senior first baseman Jenn Dalickas was on base all four times she went to the plate with a hit and three walks. Dalickas tied the single season school record with the three free passes, giving her 29 for the season.
The Blue & Grey jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Dalickas walked to leadoff and scored on an RBI single from Siragusa. Later in the inning, sophomore second baseman Chrissy Marinaro ripped a two-RBI single up the middle.
Juniata tied the game in the top of the second inning with a three-run homer.
The contest would remain tied until the bottom of the fourth when the Greyhounds plated 11 runs. Junior shortstop Lindsay Sullivan led off with a double, and the Hounds would load the bases for Dalickas, who connected on a two-RBI single to center field. Junior right fielder Mary Schlosbon followed with an RBI triple before senior center fielder Dior George was hit by a pitch. Sophomore designated player Abby Jeffries followed with her first career homer, a three-run shot down the left field line. Sophomore third baseman Victoria Conner ripped an RBI single, and freshman catcher Janae Matos added an RBI infield single. After Dalickas walked to load the bases, Schlosbon had an RBI walk, George was hit by a pitch for the second time in the inning to score a run, and Siragusa had an RBI base on balls.
Freshman hurler Amanda Carisone earned her 12th straight win in the circle in the second contest, allowing four runs, just two earned, on eight hits and a walk to go with five strikeouts.
Moravian pounded out another 13 hits in the second game with Siragusa and sophomore shortstop Madison Newhouser were each 3-for-4 as Newhouser saw her first action since being injured on the opening day of the season. Dalickas added a 2-for-2 performance with two more walks as she broke the school record for abase on balls in a single season, now with 31. She is six walks shy of tying the school career mark of 74.
Juniata jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning in game two.
The Hounds would respond with two runs in the bottom half of the inning with George hitting an RBI sacrifice fly to score Dalickas, who had led off with a single, and Siragusa ripping an RBI single to plate Schlosbon.
The Eagles scored a run in the top of the second for a 4-2 advantage but the Blue & Grey got the run right back in the bottom of the second when Schlosbon walked with the bases loaded for the second time on the day. However, Moravian left the bases loaded, part of 11 runners left on base in the contest.
The score remained the same until the Greyhounds scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Sullivan tied the game with a pinch hit RBI single that scored Newhouser, and sophomore second baseman Lizzie Deutsch scored from first base on the play after an error in the outfield.
The Greyhounds finished off the scoring with two more runs in the sixth inning. Newhouser had an RBI singled that scored George, who had started the inning off with a walk. Deutsch drove in the final run of the afternoon with an RBI fielder's choice as Siragusa scored.
Moravian is scheduled to return to action on Sunday, April 19 in a Landmark Conference doubleheader versus The University of Scranton starting at 1:00 p.m. at Blue & Grey Field.
