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A No. 23 national ranking and eight-straight wins by the Wilkes University baseball team didn't matter to Manhattanville as it had a field day offensively, pounding out 24 hits en route to a 17-4 win over the Colonels.

Wilkes has only lost two out of their last 19 games, both of which have come against Manhattanville. The Valiants snapped the Colonels 11-game win streak earlier this season and their win today broke a string of eight consecutive victories.

Manhattanville scored early and often, plating at least two runs in five of the nine innings, including a five-run fourth inning that saw the Valiants hit back-to-back home runs. They would finish with 10 extra base hits, five of which were home runs to left field.

The Valiants struck first, scoring a run in the top of the third, but the Colonels quickly answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Shane Keister (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West) led off the inning with a single through the right side before Eric Wetzel (New Berlin, N.J./Mifflinburg) reached on a bunt single, moving Keister to second. Matt Ruch (Dallas, Pa./Holy Redeemer ) extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a single to right center driving in both Keister and Wetzel. The Colonels would not score another run until the bottom of the seventh and by that time the Valiants had a 14-2 advantage.

Wilkes would score a single run in the seventh and another run in the eighth.

Steven Arroyo-Falcon pitched seven strong innings giving up four runs off 10 hits while striking out six for his third win of the season.

Ruch, along with Mike McAndrew (Avoca, Pa./Pittston Area) and Al Clocker (Swoyersville/Wyoming Valley West) combined for six of the team's 12 hits and were the only Wilkes players to pick up multiple hit games. Manhattanville on the other hand, had four players with three or more hits, including a 5-for-6 performance by Kevin Murray, who nearly hit for the cycle with two singles, a triple and two home runs. He accounted for four RBI, while Stephen Pinto and A.J. Triano had three each.

Wilkes starter Tom Buckler (Plains, Pa./Coughlin), who is tied for the nation's lead with eight, picked up his second loss of the season after giving up six runs off eight hits in four innings of work. Both losses have now come against Manhattanville.

The Colonels, who fell to 22-6, will try to bounce back tomorrow as they hit the road for a double header against Lancaster Bible starting at noon.