By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: Jennifer Jones
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata College baseball team scored early, but not often enough as Moravian College came back in the late inning to top the Eagles 5-2 in game one of the three-game Landmark Conference series. Junior leftfielder Cody Krepps (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood-Antis) finished the day 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs batted in. On the mound senior Joe Sforza (Pittstown, N.J./Immaculata) took the loss after throwing over 100 pitches through seven complete innings, giving up three earned runs and striking out four, while going 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and a walk.
Juniata (3-13, 0-4) got things going early when Sforza cranked a two out single in the bottom of the first, but was unable to come around to score. In the bottom of the third the Eagles loaded the bases with two outs and Krepps came up big with a single to centerfield to score shortstop Derek Heath (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) and senior Brad Medellin (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) for the early 2-0 lead. Heath finished 2-for-5 on the day.
The Greyhounds got one run back in the top of the fourth and looked to be threatening again in the top of the fifth with two runners on base and only one out. But Sforza forced a lineout double play by freshman first baseman Brady Cotler (Chadds Ford, Pa./Salesianum) to halt the momentum. Moravian tied the game at 2-2 with a one out RBI single in the top of the sixth and scored the eventual game-winning run with two outs in the top of the seventh.
Krepps led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a clean single and advanced to third, but the Eagles couldn't get him in the last 90 feet for the tie. The Greyhounds tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the ninth and finished the final frame for the 5-2 win. Juniata finished with eight hits on the day and left eight runners on base.
The two teams will battle out the final two games of the series tomorrow, Sunday March 30, in a doubleheader with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.
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