ASTON, Pa. --- The No. 14 Moravian College softball team posted a pair of shutouts in non-conference action Tuesday against Gwynedd Mercy University, winning 9-0 in five innings and 7-0, at the Maplezone Sports Institute Sports Village.
The Greyhounds, now 11-1 on the season, were playing for the first time since their spring trip to Florida and moved the twinbill to the turf at Maplezone with Blue & Grey Field still covered by snow.
Moravian's pitching staff combined to allow just four hits in the two games. Junior Josie Novak was perfect through the first four innings of the opener with 10 strikeouts before the Griffins opened the fifth with a single. Novak recorded one more strikeout for 11 total as she moved into sole possession of third in school history with 385 strikeouts before freshman Paige Lesher came on to record the final two outs. Junior Amanda Carisone scattered three hits and a walk to go with six strikeouts in her second shutout of the season in the nightcap.
The Greyhounds pounded out nine hits in the first game with senior left fielder Julie Siragusa going 3-for-3. Sophomore shortstop Kaela Kane was 1-for-2 with a three-RBI double while scoring three times.
Moravian jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Kane scored on a wild pitch as sophomore center fielder Kat Spilman drew a walk. The Blue and Grey would score four times in the bottom of the second for a 5-0 lead. After walks by senior designated player Victoria Conner and sophomore third baseman Madison Shaneberger and a single by Siragusa to load the bases, Kane ripped a three-RBI double to the gap in left center, and Kane ended up on third after the throw. Spilman followed with an RBI infield single to chase Kane home.
The Greyhounds tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to reach the NCAA eight-run rule. Senior first baseman Abby Jeffries chased in a run with a single to center field, and an error in the outfield allowed a second run to score. Junior catcher Janae Matos would score Jeffries with an RBI ground out before back-to-back doubles by junior right fielder Jackie Marshall and freshman pinch hitter Olivia Martin scored the final run of the opener.
The Hounds collected 10 hits in the second game with Jeffries going 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Senior second baseman Lizzie Deutsch was 2-for-3 with three RBIs while Kane went 2-for-4.
Moravian opened the scoring with a three-run third inning in the second game. Freshman right fielder Emily Stanilious hit an infield RBI single before Deutsch connected on a two-RBI single up the middle. The Blue and Grey scored a run in the fifth inning when Jeffries ripped an RBI single up the middle to score Kane.
The Greyhounds finished off the scoring in the bottom of the sixth inning with three more runs. Deutsch opened the inning with an RBI single down the right field line, and Siragusa followed with an RBI double, the 35th double of her career to move into sole possession of seventh in school history. Kane drove in the final run with an RBI single to left center.
Moravian is scheduled to return to Maplezone on Thursday, March 23 for a non-conference doubleheader versus Ursinus College beginning at 3:00 p.m.
