CLERMONT, Fla. --- The No. 21 ranked Moravian College softball squad improved to 4-0 on the season with a pair of wins in the Spring Games at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida Monday as the Greyhounds defeated Meredith (N.C.) College, 8-5, and Haverford College, 5-4.
Junior third baseman Victoria Conner paced the Hounds in the opener versus Meredith as she went 2-for-2 with five RBIs and the first two home runs of her collegiate career. Junior designated player Abby Jeffries was 2-for-3 as Moravian had eight hits in the game.
Sophomore Josie Novak improved to 2-0 in the circle after allowing five runs, just two earned, on eight hits and five walks to go with five strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Novak has moved into 10th in school history with 176 career strikeouts. Sophomore Amanda Carisone faced two batters to end the game for her first career save.
The Greyhounds jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Conner connected on her first career homer to left field. After Meredith cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the third, Conner drilled a two-run homer to center field in the top of the fourth.
Moravian pushed the lead to 6-2 in the top of the fifth with a run scoring on an error, and the Greyhounds added two more insurance runs in the top of the sixth on a two RBI double by freshman shortstop Kaela Kane.
Meredith would score three times in the bottom of the seventh and have the tying run at the plate before the Hounds could record the final out of the game.
In the second game versus Haverford, senior outfielder Mary Schlosbon and junior outfielders Julie Siragusa and Madison Newhouser were all 2-for-4 with Newhouser connecting on a pair of doubles and driving in two runs.
Carisone went the distance in the circle for her second win of the season, allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits and four walks to go with nine strikeouts.
The Blue and Grey took a 2-0 lead on the Fords in the bottom of the first inning when Schlosbon led off with a triple and scored on a passed ball, and Newhouser connected on an RBI double.
The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth when Moravian tacked on two more runs on another RBI double from Newhouser and a pinch hit RBI double by freshman Kat Spilman.
Haverford scored four times in the top of the seventh to tie the game. Moravian would come back and load the bases in the bottom of the seventh with sophomore catcher Janae Matos ending the game with an RBI single up the middle.
Moravian will have an off day on Tuesday at the Spring Games before returning to action on Wednesday, March 9 when the squad takes on Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 1:00 p.m. and Alfred University at 3:00 p.m.
