Wilkes University Athletics

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THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE WILKES UNIVERSITY COLONELS WILKES UNIVERSITY COLONELS

Steve Finkernagel

Dayna Finch went 2-for-2 in the game two win for Wilkes

WILKES SOFTBALL MANAGES SPLIT WITH PSU HAZLETON

4/19/2012 6:48:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WILKES SOFTBALL MANAGES SPLIT WITH PSU HAZLETON

EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University softball team fell 1-0 in a pitching duel in game one before battling back to post a 13-4 victory in five innings in game two as the Lady Colonels managed a split with visiting Penn State Hazleton Thursday afternoon at the Ralston Athletic Complex.

Wilkes stands 7-19 overall following the split, while PSU Hazleton sees its overall mark move to 13-16.

Game one proved to be a pitching duel throughout as Wilkes starter Laykin Hughes (Minersville, PA/Pottsville) went all seven innings striking out a season-high 15 batters in the process. The 15 strikeouts ranks seventh all-time in school history in a single game appearance. Hughes managed to keep the PSU Hazleton bats at-bay allowing just two hits throughout. The Nittany Lions crossed the plate once, using back-to-back hits to plate the game-winner in the third inning.

Wilkes was unable to muster much offense totaling five hits, and base running errors proved costly with several opportunities to tie the contest in the late innings. Katie Brown (Nanticoke, PA/Nanticoke) posted three of the six hits in game one for Wilkes.

Game two saw the Wilkes bats come alive as the Lady Colonels pounded out 12 hits scoring 13 runs in a shortened five-inning affair. Dayna Finch (Milford, CT/Joseph Foran) began the scoring with an RBI single scoring Jessalyn Paveletz (Hanover Township, PA/Hanover Area) in the second. Wilkes then exploded for nine runs on five hits in the third to open up a 10-1 lead through three innings of play. Paveletz connected on a two-run single followed by a three-run double from Brown later in the frame.

After PSU Hazleton scored three runs in the fourth to cut the lead to 10-4, Wilkes responded with three more tallies in the bottom half of the frame to end the contest due to the eight-run rule. Emily McGrath (Upper Darby, PA/Drexel Hill) and Finch collected RBI hits in the inning.

Eight different Lady Colonels reached base as Paveletz finished 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI's. Finch was 2-for-2 with three RBI's, while Kait Brown (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) went 2-for-2 with one run scored.

Alysha Bixler (Williamstown, PA/Williams Valley) recorded her first victory of the season going five innings allowing 10 hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out six.

Wilkes will be back in action Saturday when the Lady Colonels travel to Center Valley, Pa. to face DeSales University in a Freedom doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.

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