(Posted March 25, 2006)

Moravian 2, Juniata 0
Moravian 9, Juniata 1

HUNTINGDON, Pa. ? The Juniata College softball team could not overcome a dominant pitching performance in game one, and then was hurt by its own miscues in game two as the Eagles dropped two games to visiting Moravian College in Commonwealth Conference doubleheader action in Huntingdon Saturday afternoon. Juniata fell in game one 2-0 and then by a 9-1 score in game two. The Eagles are now 6-14 on the season and 1-3 in conference play, while the nationally-ranked Greyhounds improved to 13-3 on the year and 4-0 in conference.

Game one developed into a pitcher?s dual between senior hurlers Renae Hobbs (Mount Union/Mount Union) of Juniata and Meagan Hennessy of Moravian. The pair traded zeroes through the first five innings before Moravian scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to claim the victory.

Hobbs would go all seven innings, allowing just two runs on nine hits while striking out one. Hennessy meanwhile held Juniata hitless in the game and allowed just one baserunner in the game as she fanned 10 hitters.

Hobbs worked out of jams to keep the Eagles in the game several times over the first five innings. She stranded a pair of runners in the first inning and then kept the game scoreless in the fourth when Liz Schmitt (H Frank Carey/Franklin Square, N.Y.) gunned down a runner at the plate to end the inning. A diving catch from first baseman Jessica Darrow (Wellsboro/Wellsboro) stranded another two Moravian runners in the fifth inning.

The Eagles were unable to keep it scoreless in the sixth as Kelly Santry delivered a two-out double to bring home the game?s first run. Moravian added to its lead as a double-play groundout brought in the second run in the top of the seventh. Juniata had the tying run come to the plate in the seventh as Hennessy hit the first batter of the inning, but Juniata was unable to break through.

Game two got off to a much different start as the Greyhounds pushed across six runs in the top of the first inning off Juniata starter Lizzi Bartosik (Penn/Granger, Ind.). The Eagles committed a pair of errors in the inning, leading to four unearned runs in the frame. A bases-loaded walk and a two-RBI singles from Justina Black and Erica Klepeisz were the big blows in the inning.

The Eagles insured there would not be another no-hitter in game two as Hobbs doubled to lead-off the bottom of the first, and then came home with Juniata?s first run on a squeeze bunt. But that run was the only one the Eagles would manage on the game.

Hennessy again earned the win for the Greyhounds as she went four innings, allowing one run on one hit. Elsann Machotka (South Regional/Manahawkin, N.J.) came on in relief of Bartosik and went 4 1-3 innings, allowing three runs, all unearned, on four hits.

The Greyhounds put the game away with three unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning. Santry knocked in the first run with a single and then Deanna Mangieri capped the scoring with a two-RBI double.

Klepeisz had a pair of hits to lead the Moravian offense.

Juniata returns to action on Wednesday with a non-conference doubleheader at Washington & Jefferson.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.