PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – The Moravian College baseball team defeated John Carroll University, 8-5 in 11 innings, Monday afternoon in the Snowbird Classic. The Greyhounds scored two runs in the top of the ninth to send it to extra innings before scoring three in the eleventh to win the game.
Sophomore pitcher Andrew Doring would get the nod for the Blue Streaks to start the contest. Sophomore shortstop Colin Case was hit by pitch to start the game. Junior second baseman Daniel Seitzinger then drove him home with a double to right centerfield. After advancing to third on a grounder, sophomore third baseman Ryan Luke hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield for the 2-0 lead.
Junior pitcher Robert Solano start the game on the mound for Moravian. He allowed two base runners off one hit, but got out of the inning without allowing a run.
Seitzinger would start the top of the third with a single to left field. He worked his way to third after a stolen base and a throwing error by the catcher. Seitzinger then scored off a wild pitch by Doring to put Moravian up 3-0.
Sophomore second baseman Bobby Sabatino started the bottom of the third with a double, but he was thrown out at third base after a great relay from the right fielder to the shortstop to third base. Solano forced a fly out and a strikeout to get out of the inning.
Solano was strong in the bottom of the fourth. He struck out two batters, and forced the last batter to popup to the shortstop as the Greyhounds held its 3-0 lead.
Junior catcher Chet Lauer started the bottom of the fifth with a lead-off single for John Carroll. After a throwing error by the pitcher, senior outfielder Joe Veltri reached base with Lauer moving up to third. Sabatino hit a sacrifice fly to score Lauer while cutting the Greyhounds lead to 3-1.
In the bottom of the seventh, Veltri hit a triple to left field with one out for the Blue Streaks. Sabatino then grounded out to second while pushing the run across the plate to put the score at 3-2, Moravian.
Solano would give up two hits while getting two outs in the eighth before junior pitcher Chris Soltys came in for relief. Senior outfielder Connor Marrero then hit a double through the left side to score one run and knot the game at three. Veltri then reached on a fielding error that allowed one more run to cross the plate for the 4-3 lead. Veltri then stole second while Marrero stole home for the Blue Streaks to take a 5-3 lead.
Case would walk with two outs in the top of the ninth while Seitzinger reached on an error to put runners on the corners for Moravian. Sophomore outfielder Matt Hanson (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) then hit a single through the left side to score Case. Luke then repeated Hanson with a single through the left side to score Seitzinger and tie the game at five.
Soltys then walked one guy, but still recorded all three outs for Moravian in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
Freshman outfielder Cameron Leon started the top of the eleventh by getting on base after an error by the shortstop. Case then sacrificed Leon over but an error by the pitcher allowed him to reach base as Leon moved up to third. Case then stole second before a walk by Seitzinger loads the bases with zero outs. Hanson then hit into a double-play, but Leon scored to put the Greyhounds up 6-5. An error by the pitcher allowed Case to score and Luke to reach second base as Moravian is now up 7-5. Connell then singled to the pitcher, but a throwing error by the pitcher to first base allowed Luke to cross the plate for the 8-5 lead.
Soltys would stay into pitch the bottom of the eleventh. He got the first batter to popup while Sabatino followed with a single to right field. Junior third baseman Mitchell Herringshaw then hit a single right over the shortstop. Soltys then forced the next batter to fly out to the warning track before striking out the last batter to earn the victory.
Solano went 7.2 innings while striking out four and allowing two earned runs. Soltys picked up the victory after going 3.1 innings in relief, and allowing one unearned run to go with his two strikeouts.
Seitzinger led the way for Moravian by going 2-for-5 with three runs, a stolen base, a double and a RBI. Connell added two hits while Hanson had a RBI. Luke had two RBIs and a run off of one hit while Leon finished 1-for-5 with a run and a double.
Doring started the game for the Blue Streaks and went 6.1 innings while striking out nine and allowing three runs. Freshman pitcher Zach Verner took the loss after allowing three unearned runs.
Sabatine led John Carroll with three hits and two RBIs while Veltri added a triple. Herringshaw went 2-for-6 while Marrero had a RBI and a run scored.
Moravian will play two games tomorrow, March 4th at the Snowbird Classic in Florida. The Greyhounds will take on nationally-ranked No. 9 Adrian (Mich.) College at 11 a.m. and John Carroll at 2:00 p.m.
