SCRANTON, Pa. --- The No. 7 Moravian College softball team split its final Landmark Conference doubleheader of the 2017 regular season on the road Saturday at The University of Scranton as the Greyhounds won the opener, 9-0 in five innings, before falling, 3-2, in the second game.
The Hounds, who are 34-4 on the year and finish the Landmark Conference regular season at 11-1, had 13 hits in the opener including three home runs. Junior catcher Janae Matos, senior designated player Abby Jeffries and sophomore center fielder Kat Spilman were all 3-for-3 with Matos adding four RBIs and a homer while Spilman had a solo home run, three runs and one RBI and Jeffries had two runs and an RBI. Freshman right fielder Emily Stanilious connected on her first home run of the season to go with two RBIs.
In the circle, junior Josie Novak tossed her 13th shutout of the season as she scattered two hits and did not allow a walk while striking out one batter to improve to 17-2 on the year.
Moravian would give Novak all of the offense she needed with six runs in the top of first inning. Senior center fielder Julie Siragusa led off with a single and Spilman singled with one out. Jeffries ripped an RBI single to score Siragusa before Matos emptied the bases with her third home run of the season over the fence in left center field. After an out, junior first baseman Jean Markovic singles and would score when Stanilious hit her first collegiate home run also to left center.
The Greyhounds added two runs with two outs in the top of the second frame. Spilman started the two-out rally with a single, and she scored on an RBI single down the right field line by Matos. Jeffries would race home on an RBI single left field by freshman second baseman Lauren Goetz.
Moravian finished off the scoring in the top of the fourth inning when Spilman connected on a two-out home run to center field.
The Blue and Grey's bats would go cold in the second game with just four hits. Stanilious and sophomore third baseman Madison Shaneberger had RBIs in the game.
Junior Amanda Carisone suffered the loss in the circle as she allowed three runs, just one earned, on four hits and a walk. Carisone recorded three strikeouts and is now 17-2 on the year.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning.
Moravian responded with two runs in the top of the second frame to take a 2-1 lead. Markovic doubled with two outs and scored on an RBI single down the right field line by Stanilious. After Stanilious stole second base, Shaneberger ripped an RBI double down the left field line as Stanilious raced home.
Scranton tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the third innings, and the Royals would get another unearned run on the sixth inning to take the lead.
Moravian owns the top seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament and will host the two-day, double-elimination event at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem beginning on Friday, May 5 at 11:00 a.m. against an opponent to be determined.
