TUCSON, Ariz. --- The Moravian College softball team won two more games at the Tucson (Ariz.) Invitational Thursday to extend its winning streak to seven games, defeating Hiram (Ohio) College 9-1 in six innings and the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.), 5-0.
The Greyhounds, who finish their trip to Arizona with a 9-3 mark including 6-0 in the Tucson Invitational, had 10 hits against Hiram with senior catcher Janae Matos and freshman second baseman Shannon Brogan each going 2-for-3 with Brogan adding a double and two RBIs. Freshman right fielder Brooke Wehr was 2-for-4 with her team-leading sixth home run of the season and four RBIs.
Senior Amanda Carisone improved to 5-1 in the circle with her 60th career victory, the third pitcher in school history to reach the milestone. Carisone allowed a run on four hits and three walks to go with two strikeouts.
The Hounds jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Brogan led off with a single and junior third baseman Madison Shaneberger drew a walk. After an out, freshman shortstop Maddisen Bieber drew another walk to lead the bases before sophomore left fielder Lauren Goetz pushed Brogan home with another walk. Wehr followed with a grand slam, the first of her career.
Moravian extended the advantage to 8-0 with three runs in the fourth inning. Bieber led off with a single and scored on an RBI single by Matos. Brogan drove in senior pinch runner Jackie Marshall and Wehr, who had reached on an error, with a two-RBI single.
Hiram scored once in the top of the fifth inning before the Blue and Grey pushed a run home in the bottom of the sixth for the squad's fifth win by the NCAA eight-run rule on the trip. Matos walked to lead off the frame and raced all the way around to score on an RBI triple by junior second baseman Julia DeMarco.
Moravian had six hits in the win over Saint Benedict with Matos going 2-for-3.
Senior pitcher Josie Novak scattered three hits and a walk to go with four strikeouts. Novak improved to 4-2 on the spring and joined Carisone at 60 career wins in the circle. It was also Novak's 26th career shutout as she moved into a tie for second in school history with Jenna Carmon '12.
The Greyhounds opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Matos singled with two outs, and junior center fielder Kat Spilman followed with a walk. Brogan connected on an RBI single to score Matos, and Spilman raced home on a passed ball.
The Blue and Grey extended their edge to 3-0 with a run on the bottom of the third inning. Matos led off with a single and Marshall would come on to pinch run and eventually scored on a passed ball.
The Hounds pushed two more runs across the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 5-0 lead. Matos was hit by a pitch while Spilman singled and Brogan was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After an out, senior first baseman Jean Markovic connected on a two-RBI single to score Matos and Spilman.
Moravian, which out-scored its opponents 100-54 during the trip including 54-9 in the Tucson Invitational, returns to Pennsylvania and is slated to return to action on Thursday, March 15 in a non-conference doubleheader at Gwynedd Mercy University beginning at 3:00 p.m.
