SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- The four-time defending Landmark Conference Champion Moravian College softball team opened its 2012 conference schedule with a doubleheader split at Susquehanna University Saturday, winning the first game 7-2 and dropping the second contest 7-5.
In the opener, the Greyhounds, now 6-6 overall and 1-1 in Landmark Conference action, jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Senior pitcher Jenna Carmon singled with two outs, and junior first baseman Amanda Dizinno reached on an error. After a double steal, sophomore second baseman Eavan Matz had an RBI single to score Carmon. Freshman outfielder Dior George then reached on another error that allowed Dizinno and Matz to score, and George would cross the plate on an RBI double from sophomore outfielder Miranda Sergas.
The Crusaders answered with a run in the home half of the second inning on an RBI single from freshman third baseman Madison Clark to cut the deficit to 4-1.
Moravian pushed two more runs across the plate in the top of the fifth inning for a 6-1 lead. Sergas led off with a single and scored on an RBI single by sophomore catcher Cassie Ernst, and Ernst came all the way around from first base to score on an error after a single by freshman designated player Jenn Dalickas.
Susquehanna would get one of the runs back in the bottom half of the fifth on an RBI ground out sophomore catcher Brittany Devlin.
The Greyhounds finished off the scoring in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI sacrifice fly from George that scored freshman pinch runner Bryanna Gifford.
Moravian had an 8-7 edge in hits in the first fame with Sergas going two-for-two and Ernst going two-for-four. The Crusaders, who committed seven errors in the game, were led by Clark, who was two-for-three, and senior outfielder Lisa Finizio, who went two-for-four.
Carmon improved to 3-3 in the circle for Moravian this year, allowing two runs on seven hits to go with two walks and two strikeouts in a complete game. Junior Sarah Hoffman suffered the loss for Susquehanna after giving up seven runs, just one earned, on eight hits and two walks to go with one strikeout.
In the second contest, Susquehanna took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI sacrifice fly from junior outfielder Kathryn Gilbert after Moravian had already thrown out a runner at the plate in the inning.
The Greyhounds took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Ernst led off with the inning with a walk, and she scored on an error in the Crusaders' outfield. George would add an RBI single to score Dalickas, who had also walked in the inning.
Susquehanna retook the lead, 4-2, in the home half of the third inning with three runs. Freshman outfielder Brianna Murphy connected on a two-RBI double, and she would score later in the inning on an error by the Greyhounds.
Moravian tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the fourth inning on a two-RBI single that scored Carmon, who had led off the inning with a double, and junior outfielder Brook Kowal, who had singled.
The Crusaders moved back in front with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI single by Finizio, and Susquehanna extended its lead to 7-4 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on RBI singles by Devlin and Clark.
The Greyhounds, who left the bases loaded in the top half of the fifth inning, added a run in the top of the sixth inning for the final run of the game when junior Alyssa Fegely scored on a wild pitch. Moravian left two more runners on back in the top of the sixth and a total of ten runners on base in the game.
Susquehanna had an 11-7 edge in hits in the second game with Gilbert going three-for-three. Murphy was two-for-three for the Crusaders with two RBIs while Finizio was two-for-four with a pair of runs scored. George led Moravian with a three-for-four performance to go with three RBIs while Carmon was two-for-three.
The Greyhounds used their entire pitching staff in the game with Carmon tossing the first two-plus innings. She allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits with two walks while sophomore Elizabeth Tillou suffered her first loss of the year for Moravian after giving up three runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings. Freshman Lizzie Mack allowed two hits and a walk in 1/3 of an inning while Fegely tossed 1 1/3 innings with a walk and a strikeouts.
Freshman pitcher Morgan Lewis earned the victory for Susquehanna after allowing five runs, three of them earned, on seven hits and three walks to go with five strikeouts.
Moravian is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, March 20 in a non-conference doubleheader at Elizabethtown College starting at 3:00 p.m.
