Monday, March 6, 2006

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

ANNVILLE, PA --- Sophomore second baseman Beth Paly (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) of the Moravian College softball team has been named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week for her performance last week while senior pitcher Meagan Hennessy (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township HS) earned Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week honors.

The duo helped nationally-ranked Moravian open the 2006 season with a 3-1 record at the Atlantic versus East Challenge in Virginia Beach, Virginia hosted by Virginia Wesleyan College. Moravian is ranked #17th in the 2006 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Paly hit .643 for the week with nine hits including one double in 14 at-bats, and she added three runs scored, three RBIs and was flawless in 20 chances (ten putouts and ten assists) in the field at second base. Paly began the tournament with a perfect three-for-three performance with an RBI in a 4-0 win over North Carolina Wesleyan College. She added two hits in four at-bats with a run scored and an RBI in a 5-0 victory versus SUNY Plattsburgh. Paly was three-for-four with two runs, a double and an RBI in a 10-5 win over SUNY Oneonta. She finished the tournament with one hit in three at-bats in Moravian’s 1-0, eight-inning loss to #9 Rutgers University-Camden.

Hennessy opened the season with a 1-0 record, 20 strikeouts and just three hits and three walks allowed in 14 2/3 innings of action. Hennessy began the year with a 4-0 shutout of North Carolina Wesleyan in the season opener. She allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out 13 batters for her 38th career shutout. Hennessy did not receive the decision in her second start as the only run Rutgers-Camden scored in the 1-0; eight-inning win over the Greyhounds was on the international tiebreaker and is charged to the team. Hennessy gave up just two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters in the game. Hennessy was also one-for-two at the plate with a run scored, and she had two putouts and six assists in eight chances in the field.

Moravian, 3-1 overall, is scheduled to return to action on Friday, March 10th in a pair of games at the Salisbury (MD) University Seagull invitational with contests against Washington (MD) College at 10:00 a.m. and Virginia Wesleyan College at 2:00 p.m.