BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Wilkes softball team split their debut doubleheader in the Landmark Conference at Moravian University on Sunday afternoon, falling 6-3 to the Greyhounds in game one but shutting them out 1-0 in game two for their first victory as a part of the conference.

Wilkes ended the day with an 8-4 overall record, while Moravian walked away 9-4. Both teams sit at 1-1 in conference play.

The Greyhounds opened the first game hot, scoring three runs in bottom of the first to take an early 3-0 lead. Mia Butka (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) put the Colonels on the board in the top of the second inning, scoring on a throwing error by Moravian trying to force Nicole Howell (Tunkhannock, PA/Tunkhannock Area) out at first.

Wilkes scored again in the top of the third, as Hana Cross (South Brunswick, NJ/South Brunswick) reached home on a throwing error by Moravian catcher Marcie Silberman who tried to catch Haylee Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) stealing second. Butka then brought Calaman home to even the score at 3-3.

The Colonel defense kept Moravian off the board in their portion of the third, as well as the fourth, but the Greyhounds eventually broke through with a three-run fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead they turned into a win in the day's first contest.

Butka (2-3) was the losing pitcher for the Colonels allowing 10 hits and five earned runs with three strikeouts. The first year was at the top of the hitting charts for the Colonels as well going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Madi Cunningham (5-1) was the winning pitcher for Moravian, pitching a complete game allowing three hits, two earned runs, and four strikeouts. Lindsey Gawrys led the Greyhound offense with three hits in four at-bats, including a double and a triple.

The fifth inning of game one would be the last time all day that the Colonels gave up a run, shutting out the Greyhounds in game two.

In the bottom of the second inning, catcher Hannah Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) became the first backstop all year to catch a Greyhound stealing and retire the side in the process.

The deciding run came in the top of the fourth inning, as Calaman scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded to put Wilkes on the board. From there, Lauren DeMarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) and the Colonel defense held firm for their first win in Landmark Conference play.

DeMarco improved to 3-0 with her complete-game shutout, allowing five hits with three strikeouts that put the sophomore at over 100 punchouts in her career. Taylor Douple (Fredericksburg, PA/Northern Lebanon) led the Colonels going 2-for-3 at the dish in game two.

Sarah DeStefano (2-1) was the pitcher credited with the loss for the Greyhounds, her first loss of the season. Through four innings, she allowed four hits and the lone earned run with three strikeouts. Five Greyhounds registered hits in game two, but none had multi-hit games against the Colonel defense.

The Colonels continue their road trip down to the Garden State for their next doubleheader against FDU-Florham on Tuesday, March 26^th. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 3:00 p.m., while game two is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.