BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Senior right fielder Matt Hanson earned his 200th career hit and junior first baseman Charles Savite drove in six runs to lead the Moravian College baseball team to a 9-4 victory over the United States Merchant Marine Academy Sunday afternoon at Gillespie Field to close out the 2015 Landmark regular season.
The Greyhounds finished the Landmark season at 13-8 and tied for second with Elizabethtown College after the Blue Jays lost to Susquehanna University on Sunday. Moravian holds the tiebreaker after sweeping Elizabethtown in their series back in March. The Landmark Conference changed its postseason format this season with the top two teams hosting best of three semifinal series before the winners meet for a three-game conference championship series in two week.
\Moravian as the No. 2 seed will host Elizabethtown College in a pair of nine-inning games on Saturday, May 2 at Gillespie Field with first pitch of the opener slated for 11:00 a.m. The if necessary game of the series is scheduled for Sunday, May 3 at 11:00 a.m. if the teams split on Saturday. Top seed The University of Scranton will be hosting No. 4 seed The Catholic University of America in the same format in the other semifinal series.
"Getting off to the 0-5 start in conference play meant the players knew it was going to be a battle to make it back to get in the playoffs," commented Head Coach Paul Engelhardt. "It hasn't been the year we thought it would be but they did what they had to do the last two weekends. We're showing some life at the plate which we need. We feel we get good pitching on the weekends. They did what they had to do. We really didn't hit yesterday, and it seems like we go one day of hitting and one day of not so hopefully next Saturday is a day we hit."
In Sunday's game with the Mariners, the Greyhounds ripped out 15 hits with Savite going 3-for-5 with the six RBIs, tied for the second most in a game in school history, and two doubles. Senior designated hitter Ryan Luke was 3-for-4 and scored three runs while Hanson, senior shortstop Colin Case and junior catcher Mike Roethke were each 2-for-4 with Case scoring four times. Hanson joined Kevin O'Keefe '12 as the only two players in school history with 200 hits as O'Keefe holds the record with 212 hits.
"It is pretty significant to get to 200 hits in college baseball, I don't care what level, DI, DII or DII, and I think it is harder at DIII since we don't play as many games," stated Engelhardt on Hanson's milestone. "He's had an extraordinary career, and Matt's been playing through two pretty significant injuries this year. The kid's a gamer and as about as tough as you can get."
USMMA took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning but the Greyhounds would answer right back and tie the game in the bottom half of the first. Case led off with a triple to right field, his fourth of the season and eighth of his career to move him into a tie for sixth in the Moravian record books. Hanson would connect on an RBI single to right field for his 199th hit as Case scored.
The Mariners retook the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning but once again, the Greyhounds answered, this time with three runs to take the lead for good. Case and Luke singled with one out and Hanson reached on a fielder's choice as Luke beat a throw to second to load the bases. Savite followed with a three-RBI double to left center field as he cleared the bases on a 2-1 pitch.
"Charles has had some bad luck this year. He's probably hit about 20 balls right on the screws that the fielders just happen to get their gloves in front of," Engelhardt said. "I've been saying if we can heat up at the plate and hit our way out of this, we could be celebrating in a couple of weeks."
Moravian added three runs in the bottom of the fourth to push the lead to 7-3. Roethke led off with a single and sophomore center fielder Anthony Gaetaniello singled with one out. Case reached on a fielder's choice as Roethke was out before Luke dropped an RBI single in center field to score Gaetaniello. Hanson came up and ripped a 2-0 pitch off of the pitcher's foot for an RBI infield single as his 200th hit as Case scored. Savite added an RBI single through the right side as Luke cross the plate.
The Blue & Grey would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as the lead reached 9-3. Case walked to start the inning before Luke ripped a double down the left field line. After an out, Savite connected on his team-leading 10th double of the season as he hit a two-RBI ball right past a diving first baseman and down the right field line.
The Mariners, who had a pair of runners thrown out trying to steal home in the contest, would score the final run in the top of the seventh inning.
Freshman Nicholas Mazzella remained undefeated on the mound for the Greyhounds at 4-0 after allowing four runs, just two earned, on eight hits and three walks to go with four strikeouts in 6.1 innings of action. Junior Hunter Guard had one strikeout in 1.2 innings of relief while junior Ian Carbone struck out one while facing three batters in the ninth inning.
Moravian will close out its 2015 regular season on Thursday, April 30 in a non-conference game at York College of Pennsylvania slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.
