CENTER VALLEY, Pa. --- The No. 24 Moravian College softball team swept its sixth straight doubleheader, defeating host DeSales University, 7-2 and 8-0 in six innings, in non-conference action Tuesday afternoon.
The Greyhounds, now 19-3 on the season, had eight hits in the opener and capitalized on three errors by the Bulldogs. Sophomore shortstop Maddisen Bieber went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs while junior first baseman Lauren Goetz had a 2-for-4 game with two runs, three RBIs and her seventh home run of the season.
Freshman Alexandria Scheeler improved to 8-0 in the circle where she allowed two runs, just one earned, on six hits to go with one strikeout and no walks.
DeSales took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning before Moravian answered in the top of the second with Bieber singling with one out and eventually knocking a throw out of the catcher's glove on the slide at the plate on a ball hit by freshman center fielder Cameron Cassidy.
The Blue and Grey pulled in front with a four-run fourth inning. Scheeler led off with a double and scored on an RBI double by senior third baseman Madison Shaneberger. Goetz had an RBI fielder's choice to bring Shaneberger across the plate while Goetz raced home on an RBI ground out by sophomore catcher Brooke Wehr. Cassidy tallied the last run of the inning on an RBI single from senior left fielder Kat Spilman.
The Greyhounds extended the edge to 7-1 in the top of the fifth inning when Bieber doubled with two outs and Goetz followed with a two-run homer to left field.
The Bulldogs finishes off the scoring in the opener with an unearned run on the bottom of the seventh.
Moravian would pound out 12 hits in the second game, the squad's 15th contest of the season with double-digit hits. Scheeler was 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs as the designated player while Wehr were 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Goetz connected on another home run, her team-leading eighth of the spring to go with three RBIs while Cassidy drove in two runs.
Junior Paige Lesher earned her 10th win of the season in the circle improving to 10-1 with her third shutout of the year. Lesher scattered two hits and did not walk a batter in the game.
The Greyhounds gave Lesher all of the offense she needed with two runs in the top of the second inning. Scheeler led off with a double and Shaneberger reached on a fielder's choice as Scheeler beat the throw to third base. Cassidy would eventually rip a two-RBI single up the middle as Scheeler and Shaneberger scored.
The Blue and Grey added five runs in the top of the third to push the advantage to 7-0. Spilman reached on an error to begin the frame, and sophomore second baseman Shannon Brogan hit a single. Scheeler followed with an RBI single as Spilman raced home. After a pair of outs, Goetz connected on a three-run homer to left field, the 11th home run of her career. Cassidy reached on an error and scored the final run of the inning on an RBI double from Wehr.
The Hounds scored once in the top of the fourth inning to use the NCAA eight-run rule for the 11th time this spring. Spilman hit a leadoff single and raced home from second base on an RBI single by Scheeler for the 8-0 lead.
Moravian is slated to return to action on Thursday, April 4 when the squad hosts Rutgers-Camden in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m. at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.
