CLERMONT, Fla. --- The No. 21 ranked Moravian College softball team opened its 2016 season Sunday with a pair of victories at The Spring Games being played at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida as the Greyhounds defeated Penn State-Behrend, 10-2 in six innings, in the season opener before topping Lakeland (Ill.) College, 3-1 in their second game of the day.
Senior center fielder Mary Schlosbon led the Hounds in the opener as she went 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs and a triple while junior outfielder Madison Newhouser, junior catcher Niki Maffettone and sophomore first baseman Jean Markovic were all 2-for-4 with Newhouser driving in a pair of runs.
Sophomore Amanda Carisone earned her first win of the season and the 20th of her career in the circle as she allowed two runs on four hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts in six innings of action.
The Blue and Grey took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single by junior second baseman Lizzie Deutsch and a two-RBI triple from Schlosbon.
After giving up two runs in the top of the third, Moravian scored once in the fourth on an RBI single by Schlosbon, once in the fifth on Markovic's RBI double and five times in the sixth to institute the NCAA's eight-run rule. Newhouser had a two-RBI double in the sixth while Maffettone had an RBI double and junior pinch hitter Victoria Conner added an RBI single.
Moravian had eight hits in the second game versus Lakeland with freshman shortstop Kaela Kane going 2-for-4 with her first collegiate home run. Sophomore catcher Janae Matos added another round-tripper for the Greyhounds, her third career homer.
Sophomore Josie Novak also picked up her 20th career victory in the circle for Moravian Sunday as she allowed one run on two hits and three walks while striking out nine Lakeland batters.
The Greyhounds fell behind, 1-0, in the third inning on a solo home run but the Blue and Grey would tie up the contest in the top of the fifth when freshman pinch hitter Kat Spilman connected on an RBI single. Kane led off the top of the sixth with a solo homer down the left field line for a 2-1 lead, and Matos finished off the scoring when she led off the top of the seventh inning with a solo home run to left field.
Moravian is scheduled to play two more games at the National Training Center on Monday, March 7 when the squad takes on Meredith (N.C.) College at 1:00 p.m. and Haverford College at 3:00 p.m.
