BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After a two-week layoff, the Moravian College baseball team returned to action on Friday afternoon by splitting a doubleheader with Drew University to open both Landmark Conference play and the 2014 home schedule at Gillespie Field.
The Greyhounds (7-4, 1-1 Landmark) knew they would have to warm up the bats after a 14-day break from live action. The big hit eluded the Moravian men in Game 1 as the Rangers (3-4, 1-1 Landmark) held on for a 2-1 victory. The Greyhounds' offense exploded in Game 2 behind an eight-run third inning and a two-hit shutout from sophomore starting pitcher Brett Wagner. Moravian earned the split of the twin bill with a 10-0 win in Game 2.
"We didn't hit and we didn't execute when we had the chance," head coach Paul Engelhardt said of the setback in Game 1. "I was afraid of that after a two-week delay. We didn't get the big hit because we weren't staying on top of the ball. After they had two or three at-bats, maybe that's all they needed. We knew we had some rust to overcome. In the second game, we executed with guys on base and came up with some big hits. An eight-run inning will help take the momentum away from an opponent after a win in a doubleheader."
Game 1
The top of the Moravian lineup didn't show much rust in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, junior third baseman Ryan Luke doubled down the left field line, and junior outfielder Matt Hanson followed with an RBI single for the 1-0 lead.
Hanson was one of many Greyhounds sporting newly grown mustaches of varying styles. The junior co-captain thinks the sign of unity will go a long way as the spring season shifts into full gear this weekend with a five-game home stand at Gillespie Field.
"It all started with our shortstop Colin Case growing one in Florida," Hanson said. "It caught on from there. I have one, Joey DiSarno has a great one; there are different variations. It shows this team is coming together and acting as a unit instead of individuals. It means we're a bunch of real ballplayers."
"We want to look dirty, because we're a bunch of dirty and gritty ballplayers," added Case, a junior.
Hanson, whose mustache of choice is of the Fu Manchu variety, finished the game 1-for-3 and ended up driving in Moravian's only run of the contest. It would not be enough as the Rangers had two runs cross the plate in the top half of the third and their starter went the seven-inning distance to secure the win. After losing the lead, the Greyhounds only had one runner in scoring position and failed to bring him home.
Senior starting pitcher Thomas Mariano settled down nicely after the two-run third. The hurler allowed six hits while also going the distance with six strikeouts and just one walk. Drew had its leadoff hitter reach base in each of the first three innings.
"Mariano settled down," Engelhardt said. "He made a few mistakes, but pitchers can't pitch thinking they can't give up a few mistakes. The leadoff hitters getting on hurt us, and if you want to win a game 1-0, you can't do that."
Sophomore first baseman Charles Savite was Moravian's lone batter with multiple hits (2-for-3). As a team, the Greyhounds struck out just once in Game 1. Junior second baseman Alex Longernecker added a triple in the second inning.
Game 2
The Greyhounds were already turning up the heat at the plate in the bottom of the first frame. Case led off with a single, and after Hanson walked, Savite singled to right field. Drew kept the inning scoreless thanks to a perfect strike to gun Case down at home plate on the play.
It didn't take Moravian long to respond. The Greyhounds took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second with back-to-back RBI groundouts by DiSarno and senior second baseman Dan Seitzinger, scoring senior outfielder Joseph Connell and senior catcher Matthew Gutkes, respectively, after the duo pulled off a double steal with no outs in the inning.
Moravian then hung a crooked number in the third with eight runs to take a 10-0 lead. The Greyhounds brought 13 hitters to the plate as Savite, Gutkes, DiSarno, Case and Hanson all picked up RBIs in the breakout inning.
"In the first game, we were squaring some balls up, but with the wind blowing in we had a lot of long outs," said Hanson, who went 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run and a walk in Game 2. "We made the adjustments we needed to make and came back ready to play. The results show it."
Meanwhile, Wagner was spinning a gem on the mound. The sophomore improved to 2-0 on the season after facing just three over the minimum on Friday. Wagner struck out two and consistently stayed ahead in the count against the Drew lineup.
"He pitched great," Engelhardt said. "He also made a few mistakes, but competed very well. Once we got ahead, he pitched with the lead very well. He stayed ahead of batters and didn't try to force his stuff. His off-speed stuff was outstanding."
With 14 innings in the book on Friday, Moravian only used two pitchers. The Greyhounds will finish their five-game weekend home stand with a three-game series versus The Catholic University of America in Landmark Conference action. The Saturday doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. at Gillespie Field, with the finale scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m.
"We only used two pitchers today, which was great," Engelhardt said. "We were worried about the arms playing five games in three days. It means a lot that we have a lot of fresh pitchers for the Catholic series this weekend. We're going to need those arms. We think it could be low-scoring, so the pitching will be at a premium."
In the victory over Drew, Case, Savite and Gutkes all had two hits, while DiSarno drove in a team-high three runs. DiSarno is now hitting .538 (7-for-13) this season.
