EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes baseball team took down Moravian University twice on Sunday afternoon at Bruggeworth Field by scores of 6-3 and 9-5 to sweep the Landmark series with the Greyhounds.
 
The Colonels continued to rack up wins, improving to 14-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Moravian fell to 7-10 on the season and 1-3 in the Landmark.
 
Hunter Lawall (West Wyoming, PA/Wyoming Area) took the mound in the first game and got the first batter he faced to ground out to Luke Spencer (Lehman, PA/Lake Lehman) at third base. Despite putting two runners on base, Lawall worked his way out of the jam by fanning two batters to keep the Greyhounds off the board.
 
In the bottom of the first, Spencer, Mike Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) and Zack Luksic (Shavertown, PA/Dallas) all reached safely to load the bases for Max Alessi (Wallenpaupack, PA/Wallenpaupack), who was hit by a pitch to walk in Spencer from third and open up a 1-0 lead. A wild pitch allowed Mi. Show to score, giving the Colonels a 2-0 lead.
 
Lawall returned for his second inning of work and punched out the first two batters he faced before getting a flyout to center field, retiring the side in order. The righty continued to frustrate Moravian's bats in the top of the third, striking out the first batter of the inning swinging before getting a pair of pop-ups to Matthew Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) at shortstop. Lawall's dominance carried into the fourth inning, where he once again fanned the first batter that stepped up to the plate. After walking two batters, Ma. Show tossed out the lead runner attempting to steal home before Lawall struck out yet another batter looking to preserve the two-run lead.
 
In the bottom half of the fourth frame, Jacob Cambria (Elysburg, PA/Southern Columbia) singled through the left side of the infield and successfully stole second to put himself in scoring position. Ma. Show then knocked in Cambria with a single to grow the lead to 3-0.
 
Wilkes added another run in the fifth when Chase Vrabel (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland) pinch hit and singled to left to score Mi. Show, who was positioned on second base after ripping a double past the third baseman.
 
Ryan Sanderson (West Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) came in relief of Lawall in the sixth inning and escaped a bases loaded situation, only allowing one run that brought the score to 4-1. The senior returned in the seventh and pitched a one-two-three frame by way of a fly out, strikeout swinging and strikeout looking.
 
Spencer started the bottom of the seventh with a bang, crushing a homerun to the left field bleachers to provide the Colonels with another insurance run. Mi. Show singled on the next at-bat and promptly stole second and third. Todd Kolbicka (Hanover Twp., PA/Hanover) hit a sacrifice fly to right that gave Show plenty of time to tag up and score, building the lead up to 6-1.
 
After Sanderson struck out the first batter of the eighth, the next Moravian batter singled up the middle. The base runner didn't phase the righthander, who quickly got out of the inning thanks to a 6-4-3 double play.
 
The Greyhounds were able to tack on a pair of runs in the top of the ninth, however a foul out to Luksic at first ended the threat and secured the 6-3 victory in game one.
 
Lawall (4-1) only allowed one run on three hits through 5.0 innings of work on the mound while striking out a whopping seven batters. Sanderson recorded his first save of the season after tossing five strikeouts through 4.0 innings. Spencer, Vrabel, Kolbicka, Alessi and Ma. Show all contributed an RBI at the plate while Spencer raked his first homer of the season.
 
David Ciaccio (3-1) was charged with the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits. Matt Madigan had a two-RBI performance for the Greyhounds and hit a home run in the ninth inning.
 
Wilton Abreu (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Liceo Americo Pérez Tolentino) got the nod in game two and didn't disappoint, working out of a bases loaded scenario with a fly-out to Mi. Show in centerfield. He made quick work of Moravian's lineup in the second, getting two batters to ground out early in counts before striking out the third batter looking to retire the side. Abreu continued to deal in the third inning, fanning the first batter he faced before getting a fly-out and strike out looking.
 
In the bottom half of the third, Spencer doubled down the left field line to set the stage for Luksic to unleash on a ball, clearing the left field fence for his second home run of the season, giving Wilkes a 2-0 lead.
 
After Cambria worked a four-pitch walk, Ma. Show advanced him to second on a sacrifice bunt. Nathan Loch (Effort, PA/Pleasant Valley) came up to bat next and drove Cambria home with a double to right center, growing the lead to three runs.
 
Moravian got on the board in the top of the fifth with a pair of runs to cut their deficit to 3-2.
 
A Kolbicka triple to deep right center knocked in Luksic, who had reached on a fielding error. Cambria then delivered a double to left that scored Kolbicka. He came around to score on a Ma. Show double to left and subsequently came home on a Loch double down the right field line to open up a 7-2 lead.
 
Abreu pitched his sixth and final inning without allowing any runs.
 
The Greyhounds added a third run in the seventh to cut their deficit to four runs. The guests then tacked on two more runs in the top of the eighth to tighten the score, which now stood at 7-5.
 
Wilkes responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a sac-fly by Jimmy Brazofsky (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) and a single to right by Vrabel.
 
The 9-5 score would hold through the top of the ninth, as Mi. Show worked a strikeout and two groundouts to end the game.
 
Abreu remained perfect, moving to 5-0 after collecting five strikeouts through 6.0 innings and only allowing two runs. Mi. Show picked up his fourth save of the season, while Loch and Luksic both put together two-RBI performances with the ladder notching his second home run of the season.
 
Ross Huffman leveled off his season record at 1-1 after allowing five runs on eight hits. Cole Cherkas drove in two runs and led the team with two hits.
 
The Colonels make the short trip to the University of Scranton on Monday, March 25 to take on the Royals in a Landmark Conference battle at 4:30 p.m.