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Moravian Sweeps Juniata in Landmark Doubleheader

Senior pitcher David Ciaccio delivers a pitch to the plate versus Juniata College at Gillespie Field. Photo by Cosmic Fox Media / Matthew Levine '11
Senior pitcher David Ciaccio delivers a pitch to the plate versus Juniata College at Gillespie Field. Photo by Cosmic Fox Media / Matthew Levine '11

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University baseball squad swept a Landmark Conference doubleheader from visiting Juniata College Saturday at Gillespie Field, winning 18-5 in seven innings and 7-3.

How It Happened – Game #1

  • The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning in the opener
  • The Greyhounds answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-2 edge. Freshman right fielder Jared Ferguson led off with a double before senior center fielder Matt Madigan singled. Graduate student designated hitter Chris Pow followed with a two-RBI double down the left field line to bring in Ferguson and Madigan. Senior first baseman Cole Cherkas connected on an RBI single through the right side as Pow raced home
  • Juniata countered with three runs in the top of the second for a 5-3 advantage
  • The Blue & Grey took the lead for good in the bottom of the third with six runs for a 9-5 lead. Madigan singled again, and Pow drew a walk before Cherkas ripped a three-run homer to right field, his third home run of the season. Senior shortstop Paul Croylle and freshman catcher Wyatt Harrar both had singles before junior third baseman Nick Henry was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Croyle scampered home on a wild pitch while Ferguson connected on a two-RBI triple to score Harrar and Henry
  • Moravian added five runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 14-5 edge. Pow was hit by a pitch to begin the inning, Cherkas hit his second home run of the game and fourth of the season to left field. Croyle hit another single while senior left fielder David Olsakowski drew a walk before Harrar had a two-RBI double. Ferguson ripped an RBI single to bring in Harrar
  • The Hounds finished the scoring with four runs in the bottom of the sixth frame. Henry led off with a single before racing home on an RBI single from Ferguson. Madigan reached on an error and Pow was hit by a pitch again to load the bases before Cherkas connected on an RBI sacrifice fly. Madigan would race home on a passed ball while Olsakowski had an RBI single to being in Pow with the final run
  • Senior David Ciaccio improved to 5-2 on the mound as he allowed five runs, just one earned, on five hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts in six innings of action. Freshman Aidan Lane tossed the final inning with one strikeout 

How It Happened – Game #2

  • The Hounds took a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning in the second contest. Ferguson drew a walk to start the frame, and he raced home on an RBI single from Madigan. Madigan scampered home later in the inning on a throwing error as Cherkas stole second base
  • Moravian pushed the advantage to 3-0 in the fourth inning as Olsakowski connected on a two-out double and raced home on an RBI single from senior catcher Connor Wengryn
  • The Blue & Grey made it 4-0 in the fifth inning as Ferguson singled and raced around the bases on an RBI double by Madigan
  • The Greyhounds pushed three runs home in the sixth frame for a 7-0 edge. Croyle reached on an error and scored on an RBI double by Wengryn. Graduate student second baseman Jack Tone drew a walk, and both Wengryn and Tone raced home on a two-RBI single off Henry's bat
  • Juniata broke onto the scoreboard with a run in the top of the eighth, and the Eagles added two runs in the top of the ninth to finish the scoring
  • Sophomore Ross Huffman earned the win on the mound for Moravian, allowing three hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts in seven innings of action. Graduate student Ethan Weber allowed a run on two hits to go with two strikeouts in an inning of work while freshman Antorius Cofield tossed the final inning with two unearned runs on two hits.

Inside the Numbers

  • Moravian had 28 hits on the day with Ferguson going 6-for-9 with four runs, four RBIs, a double and a triple
  • Madigan was 5-for-9 with four runs, two RBIs, a double and three stolen bases while Cherkas was 4-for-7 with seven RBIs, two runs and a pair of home runs
  • Henry went 3-for-6 with two runs, two RBIs and a double while Pow had two hits, four runs, two RBIs and a double
  • Croyle added two hits and three runs while Wengyn had a pair of hits, two RBIs and a double
  • Harrar also had two hits, two runs, two RBIs and a double while Olsakowski added two hits, two runs, an RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
  • Tone crossed the plate once for the Hounds 

Up Next for the Greyhounds

  • Sunday, April 14 vs. Juniata College, 12:00 p.m.
  • Tuesday, April 16 vs. Drew University, 3:00 p.m.