BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University softball team is set for its 28th straight postseason appearance as the Greyhounds earned the top seed for the 2023 Landmark Conference Tournament that begins on Friday, May 12 at Blue & Grey Field in Bethlehem.
The action starts with the Greyhounds playing fourth seed The University of Scranton at 1:00 p.m. Second seed Susquehanna University and third seed The Catholic University of America will battle at 3:00 p.m. Contests on Saturday, May 13 begin with the winners of the first two games playing at 10:00 a.m., with the winner of that game earning a berth in the championship round on Sunday, May 14. The losers of Friday's two games will play at 12:00 p.m. Saturday with the final elimination game to start at 2:00 p.m. Saturday. Sunday's championship round has an 11:00 a.m. first pitch.
Admission to each day of the tournament is $8 for adults and $5 for minors ages 10-17 and seniors 62 and older. Children ages nine and under are admitted free of charge, as are all Landmark Conference students, faculty and staff with their school ID. All ticketing will be done online at https://landmarkconference.org/sports/2022/4/25/championships-tickets.aspx?path=champs, and there will be no cash accepted on site.
Follow the tournament at https://landmarkconference.org/tournaments/?id=35.
Moravian enters the Landmark Tournament as the top seed for the ninth time in the 15-year history of the tournament with the 2020 tournament cancelled by the pandemic. Moravian has won a total of nine Landmark Conference Championships and is the only program in the conference to make the tournament in each of the conference tournament's 15 years.
The Greyhounds are led by first-year head coach Josh Baltz, who has guided the Blue & Grey to a 29-8 overall record in his debut season including a 10-2 mark to earn the top seed in the tournament.
Moravian is hitting .332 entering the tournament with 334 hits including 71 extra-base hits with 47 doubles and 17 home runs for a .443 slugging percentage. Moravian has outscored its opponents, 214-99, for an average of 5.78 runs per game, and the Greyhounds have a .960 fielding percentage. Moravian has posted eight shutouts in 29 wins for a 2.09 ERA, and the Hounds' pitchers have recorded 173 strikeouts and just 44 walks in 247.2 innings this spring.
Freshman catcher Marcie Silberman lead the Greyhounds with a .403 batting average to go with 29 hits, 13 runs, six doubles, five homers and 20 RBIs while sophomore third baseman Holly Walter is hitting .390 with 48 hits to go with 34 runs, seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 13 stolen bases, 17 walks and 15 RBIs. Sophomore outfielder Sage Snyder has a .385 average to go with 37 hits, 23 runs, five doubles, a triple, two homers, 16 walks, 15 stolen bases and 22 RBIs while junior shortstop Ajala Elmore has posted 35 hits, 18 runs, four doubles, a homer and 16 RBIs.
Freshman outfielder/pitcher Sarah DeStefano has recorded 35 hits, 19 runs, eight stolen bases, two doubles and 13 RBIs at the plate while junior designated player Emily Silberman has 33 hits, four runs, four home runs and 30 RBIs. Sophomore first baseman Lindsey Gawrys has added 33 hits, 27 runs, five doubles, two triples, 20 walks and 22 RBIs while sophomore center fielder Jessica Forder has contributed 30 hits, 16 runs, seven doubles, a homer, four stolen bases and 17 RBIs.
Junior catcher/outfielder Mya Zettlemoyer has 24 hits, 13 runs, five doubles, a triple and nine RBIs while sophomore pitcher Madi Cunningham has recorded 11 hits, 12 runs, a double, a homer and four RBIs while batting. Freshman first baseman Angelina Marino has added five hits, four runs, a pair of doubles and five RBIs while freshman outfielder Madison Berning has five hits, seven runs, a double and four RBIs.
Freshman second baseman Hailey Tanner has three hits, 12 runs, a triple, four stolen bases and four RBIs while sophomore infielder Ren Herschman has two hits, four runs, a double and three RBIs. Freshman infielder Emma Wariwanchik has a hit, a run and an RBI while senior utility player Hailey Kortman has a hit and a double. Freshman third baseman Alexa Fernandez has posted one hit and an RBI while freshman second baseman Kendall Szor has scored four runs and freshman infielder Brenna Beshock has a pair of runs.
DeStefano is 13-2 in the circle with 71 strikeouts, three shutouts and a 2.01 ERA in 97.1 innings of action while Cunningham is 13-5 to go with five shutouts, 82 strikeouts and a 1.99 ERA in 126.1 innings. Senior Madison Hummel has nine strikeouts and an 1-1 mark in 15.1 innings while freshman Natalie Otto is 2-0 with 11 strikeouts and a 1.62 ERA in 8.2 innings.
