Sports News: Spring 2005

Monday, May 9, 2005

MORAVIAN’S HENNESSY & BORTZ NAMED COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE PITCHER & PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ANNVILLE, PA --- Junior pitcher Meagan Hennessy (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township HS) and senior shortstop Heather Bortz (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS) of the Moravian College softball team have been named the Commonwealth Conference’s Pitcher and Player of the Week for their performances last week.

The duo helped the Greyhounds win their fifth straight Commonwealth Conference Tournament Championship, a sixth consecutive Commonwealth Conference title and earn an eighth straight trip to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.

Hennessy was named the Most Valuable Player of the Commonwealth Tournament after tossing three shutouts in Moravian’s three wins. Hennessy began the tournament with a four-hit shutout of Albright College by the score of 6-0 in which she allowed just one walk while striking out ten batters. Hennessy followed that performance with a two-hit shutout of Lebanon Valley College in a 7-0 win. She hit one batter during the victory and struck out six others. Hennessy finished the tournament with another 6-0 shutout of Albright in the championship game with six more strikeouts. For the week, Hennessy allowed just ten hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out 22 batters in 21 innings of work. Hennessy also had four assists in the field.

This is the sixth time this season that Hennessy has been named the Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Week, and she has been the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Southern Pitcher of the Week twice and the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III National Player of the Week once in 2005.

Bortz hit .700 in Moravian’s three wins with two extra-base hits. She started the tournament with a four-for-four performance in the first victory over Albright with a double, a triple, and RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. Bortz added a two-for-three performance with three runs scored, a walk and a stolen base in the win versus Lebanon Valley. She finished the tournament with one hit in three at-bats, three RBIs and a sacrifice fly in the championship game win over Albright. Bortz also had six putouts and ten assists without an error at her shortstop position.

Moravian is 34-6 overall this season and tied for 19th in the latest NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll. The Greyhounds will be making their eighth straight trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament this weekend, as the team has been seeded second in the Salisbury, Maryland regional and will play third seeded Roanoke (VA) College on Friday, May 13th at 12:00 p.m.