BETHLHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College softball team swept its fourth straight doubleheader and finished the 2015 Landmark Conference regular season with an 11-1 mark as the Greyhounds defeated The University of Scranton, 3-1 in the opener and rallied for a 4-3 victory in the second game at Blue & Grey Field Sunday afternoon.
The Hounds are now 24-4 on the year with their second nine-game winning streak of the season, and it is also the 22nd straight season that Head Coach John Byrne has won at least 23 games with a career mark of 699-217.
"Scranton has two pretty good pitchers but we were able to battle back, especially in the second game. We left some runners on base, missed some opportunities and didn't get some bunts down but we finally came through," commented Byrne. "When you're playing well and getting the breaks, you take them. We have to do a little better job swinging the bats and giving our pitchers a little more support but overall I'm happy with today. Scranton has a nice team and they swing the bat well so it was nice to get two wins to finish the conference season."
Freshman pitcher Josie Novak improved to 11-3 in the circle for Moravian in the first game, allowing a run on six hits and a walk to go with eight strikeouts as she surpassed the 100-strikeout mark for the season, now with 105 in her debut season.
The Blue & Grey had 10 hits in the opener with senior center fielder Dior George going 2-for-2. Sophomore left fielder Julie Siragusa and senior second baseman Lizzie Mack were each 2-for-3 with Siragusa driving in two runs.
Moravian jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Senior first baseman Jenn Dalickas doubled with one out, her 49th career two-bagger, and she scored on an RBI single down the left field line by Siragusa.
The Hounds pushed the lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the home half of the fifth frame. Freshman catcher Janae Matos led off with a single to right field and was eventually pinch run for by freshman Jackie Marshall. George would hit an RBI single through the right side to score Marshall, and after stealing second base, George raced home on an RBI single to left center by Siragusa.
The Royals scored their lone run of the opener on a home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth but Novak would shut the door for the victory.
Moravian added another nine hits in the second contest with Dalickas and sophomore catcher Niki Maffettone each going 2-for-2 while sophomore right fielder Mary Schlosbon was 2-for-4. George added one hit to move into a three-way tie for second in school history with 191 career hits while Dalickas sits in seventh all-time with 189 hits.
The Blue & Grey took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of the nightcap when Mack connected on an RBI sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to score Schlosbon, who had singled with a bunt in front of the pitcher.
Scranton answered with single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to build a 3-1 lead.
Moravian tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Maffetton led off with a single through the left side, and Dalickas followed with her fifth home run of the season as she connected on a 2-2 outside pitch and dropped the ball just over the fence down the left field line. The homer extended Dalickas' school record to 31 home runs in her career.
"That was a nice piece of hitting by Jenn because that was a tough pitch," explained Byrne. "She just went with it. Her freshman year, she probably wouldn't have done that but she's worked hard on that. It is tough to pitch around her if you're not going to walk her."
In the month of April, Dalickas is 24-for-35 at the plate with 29 walks.
The Greyhounds would score the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sophomore shortstop Madison Newhouser led off with a walk, and after two outs both Dalickas and Schlosbon drew walks to load the bases. On a 1-2 pitch, Schlosbon ripped a grounder down the first base line behind the bag. Scranton was able to knock the ball down but everyone was safe on the infield RBI single as Newhouser raced home.
Freshman Amanda Carisone earned her 13th straight win in the circle for the Blue & Grey with five strikeouts in the contest.
Moravian is scheduled to continue its 10-game homestand with games seven and eight on Thursday, April 23 when Stevens Institute of Technology comes to Blue & Grey Field for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m.
