Playing at Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports, Muhlenberg team showed that baseball is a small-ball world, after all.

Bunts – a suicide squeeze and three sacrifices – factored into all

SOFTBALL STARTS 0-2 The Muhlenberg softball team had a rough start to the 2007 season, falling to St. Francis (Ill.), 10-1, and Misericordia, 4-1, at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. Sophomore Michelle Consiglio drove in the Mules’ run in the first game with a bases-loaded single. Senior Katie Olson had two hits in the second game. Click here for line scores.

the scoring as the Mules, blanked 7-0 by Salve Regina in their first game of the season, came back for a 6-4 win in the second game of the doubleheader.

The offensive execution backed the outstanding debut of freshman Phil Cresta, who pitched into the sixth inning and allowed only two hits in his first career appearance. Cresta struck out five and pitched five shutout innings, helping to revive Muhlenberg after an opening game in which it had more errors (five) than hits (four).

“There was a good amount of pressure,” Cresta admitted. “We worked really hard in the preseason and everybody was a little shaken after the first game. I tried to do my best to get us a win, because we deserved it. I did a pretty decent job hitting spots and the defense did a lot better job all around.”

The second game was scoreless when freshman Eric Pomroy led off the top of the third with a triple. One out later, sophomore John Kalis

Bettini scored the Mules’ final run on a throwing error on a double steal. He advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Kalis.

dropped down a perfect bunt on a suicide squeeze, plating Pomroy with the Mules’ first run of the season.

Two innings later, the same two players were the principals. With one out and a runner on first, Pomroy worked out a walk after falling behind 0-2. A bunt by senior A.J. Bettini advanced the runners, and Kalis brought them in with a triple after he took a close 0-2 pitch. Senior Ryan Sassaman’s single plated Kalis, making the score 4-0.

Pomroy led off the seventh with a double and scored the first of two insurance runs when Bettini’s bunt was thrown away.

Salve scored twice in the sixth and twice in the seventh, but sophomore Matthew Ordog and senior Dave Andrew – each making his first career appearance – combined to preserve the first career win for head coach Corey Goff.

Click here for line scores.