HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata College failed to execute on offense or defense to drop both games in a Landmark Conference twinbill against Moravian College Sunday afternoon at Langdon-Goodale Field.
The Greyhounds banged out a total 28 hits, including seven doubles and two homeruns on their way to 13-3 and 12-3 victories.
Juniata only managed 19 hits on the day, led again by junior center fielder Ben Mersky (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) who stroked five hits across the 14 innings of play. With two hits in the first and three in the second game, Mersky extended his multiple hits per game streak to 10 consecutive contests.
Defensively, the Eagles didn't fair much better, as collectively they committed 10 errors, six of which came in game two, while Moravian (12-7, 5-0 Landmark) slipped-up just twice in the doubleheader.
In game one, Juniata (7-9, 1-4 Landmark) gave up eight runs to the Greyhounds to open the game and was unable to cook-up a comeback.
The Eagles finally got on the board in the fifth with a single run after Moravian had tacked-up three runs in the third and two in the fourth. Juniata's Derek Heath (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon Area) singled up the middle to get things moving for the Eagles in the fifth and was moved over to second off a Jace Rhoads (Summersville, Pa./Clarion-Limestone) bunt single. Both Rhoads and Heath bumped-up a base from a wild pitch and senior Matt Fritz (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) plated Heath with a groundout.
The next inning, Juniata put-up two more runs getting started from a Mersky leadoff single to right center. A Brad Medellin (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) grounder that forced a fielding error allowed Mersky to advance and Medellin to reach first. Senior Russell Gray (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) plated Mersky just one batter later from a left center single. Junior Cole Walters (Mount Union, Pa./Mount Union) earned an RBI with a rope into left center that permitted Medellin to trot home.
Freshman Chris Fulton (West Chester, Pa./Unionville High School) is charged with the loss for his 2.1 innings of work were he gave-up 12 Moravian hits and 11 runs. Sophomore Mario DeYulius (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) hurled for 1.2 innings and struck out three Greyhounds while giving up two runs. Nathan Strom (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) finished the game on the mound with 3.0 innings pitched and did not allow a Moravian player to cross the plate and struck out one batter.
Game two was nearly the same result, this time with Moravian spreading out the scoring over six innings, and Juniata only plating runs in the fifth and sixth.
Mersky drove home Juniata's first two runs in the fifth off a double that just stayed fair down the right field line. Rhoads and Cody Krepps (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood-Antis), who each singled to get aboard the base paths, were the runners plated by Mersky's double.
R. Gray opened the sixth inning for Juniata with a single to right center and got into scoring position by moving up on a wild pitch. A Walters' grounder moved R. Gray up to third and a Krepps' single up the middle plated R. Gray for the Eagles' third and final run of the game.
Senior William Hoffman was on the mound for the Eagles for 6.0 innings and struck out two batters while allowing seven earned runs on nine hits. Justin Miller (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood-Antis) made a brief appearance with just 0.1 innings of work, and junior Josh Green (Hagerstown, Md./Clear Spring) was called in to close the game and did so allowing three runs on three hits and one walk.
Juniata and Moravian complete the three game Landmark series on Monday, March 26, with a nine-inning contest scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. in Huntingdon, Pa.
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