Game One
Game Two


The Wilkes University baseball team traveled to Myrtle Beach, SC for their spring break trip on Thursday, challenging the PSU Abington Nittany Lions in their first game of the season on Friday. After the double-header, Wilkes had a 1-1 record despite a slow start at the plate.

The first game began with Tom Buckler (Plains, Pa./Coughlin) pitching for the Colonels, who found themselves in trouble the first two innings. Buckler was able to work his way out of it though, striking out three in the second inning, leaving the bases loaded and surrendering just one run. Wilkes got it back in the next inning, as Angus Neary (Old Forge/Riverside) knocked in Carmon Lopresto for the Colonels' first run of the season.

In the third inning the Nittany Lions broke the game open, scoring three runs to make the score 4-1, and tacking on another score in the next frame. The Colonels struggled at the plate in the middle innings, and had just four hits through five innings played. PSU Abington added another run in the sixth, and Wilkes was unable to rally, falling 6-1 in the season opener.

Wilkes had just seven hits in the game, led by Matt Ruch (Dallas, Pa./Holy Redeemer ), Rich Cosgrove (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Myers H.S.) and Mike Brennan (New Ringold, Pa./Marian Catholic) with two a piece.

In the second game Al Clocker (Swoyersville/Wyoming Valley West) was on the mound for the Colonels, and in the first he got a little help from his defense, as Mike McAndrew (Avoca, Pa./Pittston Area) and Shawn Ward (Moosic, Pa./Riverside) turned a double play to end the top of the inning. In the second Wilkes got itself into a jam, but Clocker worked back, getting town outs with runners at second and third to keep the score tied at zero.

PSU struck in the third though, scoring two runs and rattling off a few hits, taking a 2-0 lead. Wilkes had runners on second and third in the fourth inning, but couldn't come through in the clutch. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions tacked on another run in the fifth, extending their lead to three.

In the bottom of the fifth Wilkes exploded for five runs, most of which came off the bat of Angus Neary (Old Forge/Riverside) who hit a three-run rocket over the left field fence. Wilkes then had a 5-3 lead heading into the last two innings. After adding another run in the sixth, Wilkes put the save in the hands of Mark Siebel (Rumson, NJ/Rumson Fair Haven), who after giving up an initial hit, got the next batter to ground into a double play. The next batter singled, but then Ruch threw out the next batter, ending the game at 6-4.

Neary carried the team offensively with his blast to left, while McAndrew, Ruch and Jaggers each added RBI's, while Clocker picked up the win. Wilkes only had three hits in the game, but turned costly PSU errors into runs late in the contest.

Wilkes takes on Plattsburg on Saturday, March 6 in Myrtle Beach. That game will begin at 9:00 a.m.