Center Valley, PA (April 3, 2007) – The DeSales University softball team snapped its eight-game losing streak with an exciting 12-11 upset of 9th ranked Moravian College in game one of the non-conference doubleheader and the Greyhounds returned the favor with a 9-0 victory in game two of the twinbill on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon.
The split moves DeSales to 5-11 overall, while Moravian improves to 14-4 overall. The win marks the first time in the last 26 career meetings that DSU has gone home with a win in the series. The Greyhounds had won the last 25 games and owned a 25-1 record in the series entering today’s doubleheader.
In game one, DeSales opened up leads of 5-1 and 9-6 before Moravian rallied to tie the game in the top of the seventh but the Bulldogs regained the momentum with a solo run in the bottom of the 10th inning to record the win.
The Bulldogs answered MC’s lone run in top of the first with five runs in bottom of the inning on three walks and doubles from sophomore Amanda Kensecki (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty), senior Amanda Martinenza (Boothwyn, PA/Garnet Valley) and sophomore Jamie Pfitzenmayer (Annandale, NJ/Hunterdon Central).
Moravian chipped away at the lead over the next three innings scoring twice in the second and three times in the fourth to take a 6-5 lead but that advantage did last long as DeSales scored four times in the bottom of the fourth inning to take its 9-6 lead. DSU scored its runs on just two hits and dropped three straight bunts during the inning with all three batters reaching base and scoring in the rally.
Once again the Greyhounds chipped at the DeSales lead scoring twice in the sixth inning and tying the game with a clutch two-out RBI double from Beth Paly in the seventh inning to the score at nine and send the game into extra innings.
In the eighth inning Moravian scored a run on an RBI single from Maria Debonis and it was DeSales who was down to its last out in the bottom of the eighth inning until Kensecki plated sophomore Maddie Roxandich (Bethelehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) with an RBI triple that was inches away from being a two-run walk-off home run.
The ninth inning saw both teams bunt over the lead-off runner and knock her in with an RBI sacrifice fly as we went to the 10th tied at 11. In the top of the 10th, MC failed to bunt its leadoff runner over to third and DSU retired the side in order to keep the game tied at 11.
The Bulldogs leadoff batter attempted to bunt over the runner at second but bunted the ball foul behind the catcher. The Greyhounds’ catcher caught the ball but her momentum carried her out of play and the DSU runner was awarded third base. Roxandich was at the plate with a runner on third and one out as she dropped a bunt down to third base. The third baseman fielded the ball, looked back the runner and Roxandich was safe at first base without a throw.
Freshman Kyra Monarek (Allentown, PA/Parkland) was next at the plate as she also dropped a suicide squeeze bunt back to the pitcher and the throw home was not in time as fellow freshman Kristen Cybularz (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Carroll) came home with the winning run.
Monarek finished the opener with two hits, two runs scored and two RBI’s in the win. Kensecki was 3-for-5 with two RBI’s and Martinenza knocked in three runs. Senior Elise Wilk (Philadelphia, PA/Nazareth Academy) earned the win pitching all 10 innings allowing just four earned runs and striking out three batters.
In game two, the Greyhounds’ Maria DeBonis shut down the Bulldogs hitters allowing just two hits over five innings as MC recorded a 9-0 win in five innings. K. Cybularz took the loss allowing eight earned runs over five innings to fall to 0-3 on the season. Roxandich and Pfitzenmayer had the Bulldogs two hits.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to return to action on Thursday, April 5th when they host Wilkes University in a Freedom Conference doubleheader beginning at 3:00 pm.
