AUBURNDALE, Fla. --- The Moravian University baseball team finished its trip to the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a doubleheader versus Wartburg (Iowa) College, falling 15-3 and 13-2 on Friday.

How It Happened – Game #1

• The Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning
• The Greyhounds countered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first frame. Junior center fielder Patrick Benolken led off with a single, and senior catcher Derek Holmes drew a two-out walk before senior second baseman Chris Pow connected on a two-RBI double to center field scoring both Benolken and Holmes
• Wartburg added four runs in the top of the second for a 7-2 edge
• The Blue and Grey scored their final run in the bottom of the third inning. Junior first baseman Cole Cherkas doubled to lead off the frame, and he came across the plate on an RBI sacrifice fly by Pow
• The Knights pushed five runs across the plate in the top of the fifth and three more in the top of the seventh to finish the scoring
• Sophomore Matt Snyder started on the mound for the Hounds and had a pair of strikeouts in three innings of action. Senior Garrison Koch tossed two innings with two strikeouts while junior Aaron Flyte struck out three batters in two innings of work

How It Happened – Game #2

• Wartburg opened game two with four runs in the bottom of the first inning
• Moravian cut the deficit in half with a pair of runs in the top of the third frame. Sophomore right fielder Nick Henry and Cherkas both drew walks before Holmes ripped a two-RBI triple down the left field line to score both runners
• The Knights countered with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to 8-2, and Wartburg added three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth frame to finish the scoring
• Senior Tyler Valentine tossed the first inning for Greyhounds and recorded three strikeouts while senior pitcher Ethan Weber had a pair of strikeouts in an inning of action. Senior AJ Gordon tossed one inning while freshman Max Sponheimer saw an inning of work with one strikeout. Senior Noah Ingalls struck out two batters in an inning of action while senior Matt Ciarrocchi added one strikeout in an inning on the hill

Inside the Numbers

• Moravian had 11 hits in the doubleheader led by Cherkas, who was 3-for-4 on the day with a pair of runs scored and a double. Junior catcher Connor Wengryn went 2-for-3 in the second contest
• Pow had a double and three RBIs while Holmes contributed a triple, two RBIs and scored once
• Junior infielder Paul Croyle also recorded a double while Henry crossed the plate once

Up Next for the Greyhounds

• Tuesday, March 7 at New Jersey City University, 3:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 11 at Salisbury (Md.) University, 2:00 p.m.