Tuesday, May 4, 2004

MORAVIAN’S SOROKA & WEINER EARN COMMONWEALTH WEEKLY SOFTBALL HONORS

ANNVILLE, PA --- Senior outfielder Melissa Soroka (Newton, NJ/Pope John XXIII HS) and senior pitcher Donna Weiner (East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park HS) of the Moravian College softball team have been named the Commonwealth Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week for their performances last week.

Soroka helped the Greyhounds claim their fourth consecutive Commonwealth Conference Tournament Championship, and the program’s seventh straight NCAA Division III Tournament berth last week. Soroka was six for 13 (.462) at the Commonwealth Tournament with two runs scored, an RBI, a triple and three putouts. Her biggest play of the tournament was a diving catch in deep left centerfield in the bottom of the seventh inning of the championship game that kept Lebanon Valley College from beginning a rally. Soroka was also three-for-four in the championship game.

Weiner, who has been named the Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season, won a pair of games in the Commonwealth Conference Tournament. Weiner tossed an 8-0, five-inning shutout of Lebanon Valley College in the second game of the first day and then defeated the Flying Dutchmen, 2-1, in the if necessary game to give Moravian the title. Weiner allowed just one run on 13 hits and no walks in 12 innings while striking out three batters. Weiner has won her last 15 decisions after losing the opening game of the season.

Moravian is 34-3 overall, which ties the single season record for victories, and will return to action as the top seed in the Mahwah, New Jersey Regional of the 2004 NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 7th in a game versus the winner of fourth seeded Union (NY) College and fifth seeded the College of Staten Island at 2:00 p.m.