Sports News: Spring 2008

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

GREYHOUND SOFTBALL SQUAD PREPARES FOR ITS 14TH STRAIGHT POSTSEASON APPEARANCE &
TO HOST 2008 LANDMARK CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College softball team will be heading to the postseason for the 14th consecutive season as the Greyhounds have the top seed for the inaugural Landmark Conference Tournament being hosted by Moravian in Bethlehem this weekend.

The tournament begins on Friday, May 2nd with Moravian playing fourth seeded Drew University at 11:00 a.m.  Second seeded The University of Scranton will battle third seed The Catholic University of America at 1:00 p.m. and the winners of the first two games will play at 3:00 p.m. Friday, with the winner of that game earning a berth in the championship game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.  The losers of Friday’s first two games will open Saturday’s action at 9:00 a.m. Click here for the tournament website.

The Greyhounds under the direction of 15-year head coach John Byrne, who as a career mark of 472-147, have posted a 30-6 overall record this spring, the 15th consecutive season that Moravian has won at least 23 games, and a perfect 12-0 mark in Landmark Conference action.  The Greyhounds, which have won over 30 games nine times under Byrne including the last seven years, are in the conference tournament for the ninth straight year and the 13th time in 14 years.  Moravian has also been in the NCAA Tournament the last ten years including a regional championship and berth in the 2007 NCAA Division III World Series last year and a national runner-up finish at the 2004 Division III World Series.

One of the keys for the Greyhounds again this season has been their pitching staff, which has a 1.17 ERA, 18 shutouts, six no-hitters, 237 strikeouts, 151 hits allowed and 58 walks allowed in 239 innings.

Junior pitcher/designated hitter Maria DeBonis (Nazareth, PA/Notre Dame HS), this week’s Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season, is 16-3 with a 0.83 ERA, 160 strikeouts, 41 walks allowed, nine shutouts and four no-hitters including three perfect games in 127 innings. 

Freshman pitcher Elizabeth Python (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman HS) has a 1.65 ERA, a 14-3 record, a save, eight shutouts, two no-hitters, a perfect game, 76 strikeouts and 17 walks allowed in 110 innings of action.  Freshman pitcher Amie Ballo (Andes, NY/Andes Central HS) has tossed two innings with one strikeout while combining on a shutout with Python.

As a team at the plate, Moravian has a .321 batting average this season with 318 hits, 67 doubles, seven triples and 18 home runs.  The Greyhounds have scored 212 runs and drawn 72 walks while striking out just 111 times in 1,114 plate appearances.

Senior second baseman/shortstop Beth Paly (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) has a team leading 48 hits, a .425 average, 28 runs, eight doubles, two triples and 22 RBIs while senior Kelly Santry (Hatboro, PA/Upper Moreland HS), who will miss the Landmark Conference Tournament due to an injury, has a .375 average with 36 hits, eight doubles, a homer, 21 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

DeBonis has 28 hits with 23 runs, 25 RBIs, eight doubles, a triple, five home runs, nine walks and a .333 average while senior Megan Ritchey (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) has contributed 28 hits, 23 runs, nine doubles, two homers, 14 RBIs, five stolen bases, nine walks and a .333 average.  Junior Erica Klepeisz (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth HS) has added 35 hits, 26 runs, seven doubles, two triples, a .337 average, five stolen bases and 19 RBIs while freshman Amanda Paulus (Easton, PA/Easton HS) has added 26 hits, 14 runs, a double, two triples, three home runs, five stolen bases, 18 RBIs and a .329 average. 

Freshman Stephanie Falzarano (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield HS) has collected 29 hits with 22 runs scored, seven doubles, eight RBIs, eight walks and five stolen bases while junior Deanna Mangieri (Pleasantville, NY/Byram Hill HS) has added 21 hits, two doubles, a home run, eight RBIs and ten runs. Freshman Maura Agnew (Doylestown, PA/Lansdale Catholic HS) has 19 hits, 15 runs, 14 RBIs, four doubles and three home runs this spring while junior Sheri Bieniek (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley HS) has contributed 23 hits, 12 runs, 15 RBIs, a homer, six doubles and eight walks. 

Freshman Jennifer Schmitt (Mendham, NJ/Mendham HS) has eight hits, four runs, two doubles and six RBIs while junior Katie Agnew (Doylestown, PA/Lansdale Catholic HS) has five hits, five runs, three doubles and three RBIs.  Sophomore Danielle Massa (Livingston, NJ/Livingston HS) has two hits and a run scored while freshman Megan Boyle (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield HS) has scored four runs and added three hits, a double, a home run and five RBIs. 

Sophomore Kelly Maressa (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) has five hits with two runs, a homer and four RBIs.  Ballo has added a hit and two runs scored while sophomore Katie Flood (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) has scored five runs with a double and an RBI.