MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. --- The Moravian College baseball team waited for over nine hours after the original start time to begin a doubleheader versus Hilbert (N.Y.) College at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Thursday, and when the first contest finally began at 8:30 p.m., the Greyhounds earned a 14-4 victory in the opener; however, game two was cancelled as the heavy rain returned.
The Hounds, who have won three straight contests to improve to 5-4, had eight hits in the game but also had nine batters hit by pitches and drew another five walks in the game. Senior center fielder Carmine Palummo was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a double while senior left fielder Ian Csencsits went 2-for-4 with a career-high six RBIs, a double, a homer and two runs. Junior first baseman Brett Moyer had a 2-for-5 game with two RBIs.
Junior Rodney Berger earned the victory on the mound for Moravian as he allowed a run on five hits and three walks to go with a career-high nine strikeouts in 4.2 innings of action. Freshman Noah Ingalls tossed 1.1 innings with two runs on two hits and two walks to go with a pair of strikeouts while freshman Ethan Weber pitched the final inning.
The Blue and Grey took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore designated hitter AJ Brosious was hit by a pitch with two outs and eventually scored on an RBI single from freshman catcher Derek Holmes. Moravian made it a 2-0 lead with a run in the third when Palummo connected on a one-out double before crossing the plate on an error.
The Greyhounds doubled the advantage to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the fourth frame. Holmes was hit by a pitch and scored on a wild pitch while sophomore second baseman Royce Frazier singled and crossed the plate on an RBI single from Csencsits.
Hilbert scored a run in the top of the fifth and two more in the top of the sixth to close within a run at 4-3.
The Hounds answered with a 10-run bottom half of the sixth. Freshman shortstop Mason Fisher drew a leadoff walk and Palummo singled before Csencsits connected on a three-run homer to right field, his first home run of the season and third of his career. Moyer had a single and scored on a walk by Frazier. Fisher and Palummo were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded as junior right fielder Thomas Philipps and Holmes touched the plate. Csencsits came back up and connected on a two-RBI double that brought in Frazier and Fisher while Moyer finished the inning with a two-RBI single to score Palummo and Csencsits.
Hilbert added one more run in the top of the seventh.
Moravian is scheduled to close out its trip to the Ripken Experience on Friday, March 6 with a game versus York College of Pennsylvania beginning at 10:00 a.m.
