Michelle Coyle finished with two hits and two runs scored in the game two win over Manhattanville

WILKES SOFTBALL TAKES TWO FROM MANHATTANVILLE FOR FIRST FREEDOM WINS OF 2013

4/6/2013 7:56:00 PM

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WILKES SOFTBALL TAKES TWO FROM MANHATTANVILLE FOR FIRST FREEDOM WINS OF 2013

EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University softball team regrouped from a tough pair of Freedom losses on Thursday to post a sweep of visiting Manhattanville College Saturday at the Ralston Athletic Complex. Wilkes took game one 5-0 behind the pitching gem of Laykin Hughes (Minersville, PA/Pottsville), then used a Jessalyn Paveletz (Hanover Township, PA/Hanover Area) single up the middle in the bottom of the eleventh to secure a 5-4 victory in game two.

Wilkes moves to 9-13 overall and 2-4 in Freedom games. Manhattanville drops to 11-11 overall and 5-3 in league play.

Hughes threw a gem in game one scattering six hits through seven innings to preserve the complete game shutout victory.

Michelle Coyle (West Milford, PA/West Milford) singled in the first and later scored on a fielder's choice to give Wilkes a 1-0 lead. After another run, Alex Hoops (Mountaintop, PA/Crestwood) crossed home plate on a wild pitch to up the advantage to 2-0. Wilkes plated two more runs in the second as Coyle connected on a two-run single scoring Kait Brown (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) and Hughes on the play.

The Lady Colonels added one more insurance tally in the third as Paveletz lead-off the frame with a triple to center field and later scored on an RBI single from Hoops.

Wilkes struck early in game two when Mandy Seccia (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott)'s bunt found a hole in the infield scoring Brown to give the Lady Colonels a 1-0 lead. After Manhattanville answered with three runs in the third, Wilkes added a run in the bottom half of the frame as Alysha Bixler (Williamstown, PA/Williams Valley) scored on an RBI single from Brown. Wilkes tied the game in the fifth when Emily McGrath (Upper Darby, PA/Drexel Hill) reached on an error by the third basemen scoring Coyle who started the inning with a base hit.

The game went scoreless through the next five innings of play before international rules came into effect in the tenth per conference rules placing a runner on second to start each inning. The Valiants scored one in the top of the eleventh to setup the thrilling finish in the bottom half of the inning.

With Brown placed on second, Coyle singled moving runners to first and third with no outs. Seccia followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4 continuing the inning. Paveletz then came through with the second big hit of the frame singling up the middle just past the outstretched glove of the pitcher plating Coyle to give Wilkes the 5-4 extra inning victory.

Brooke Chapin (Nanticoke, PA/Nanticoke) was outstanding in the circle throughout the game going all 11 innings allowing ten hits and four runs facing 41 batters. Chapin recorded 19 straight outs before allowing the run in the eleventh.

Four Lady Colonels tallied two hits each led by Seccia's two-hit, two-RBI performance.

Wilkes returns to the diamond Thursday with a non-league matchup against Susquehanna University at the Ralston Athletic Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

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