CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Wilkes University baseball team mashed out 20 hits for nine runs but surrendered 18 hits and 13 runs in a 13-9 loss at DeSales University in the first game of its Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom series this weekend.

The Colonels are now 12-9 overall and 3-4 in MAC Freedom play.

Wilkes got on the board in the top of the first when junior James Brown (Covington, PA/North Pocono) laced a triple to right-center and scored on a wild pitch. The Colonels added another run in the top of the second on a single by junior Joshua Slocum (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights), who was bunted to second by junior Matthew Reese (Wellsboro, PA/Wellsboro) and driven in by a single off the bat of junior Dan Eicher (Massapequa Park, NY/Kellenberg).

DeSales scored four runs in the bottom of the second on three hits, a hit-by-pitch, and an error to take a 4-2 lead. The Bulldogs added three runs in the bottom of the fourth on five hits to take a 7-2 lead.

Wilkes responded in the top of the fifth scoring with two runs. Brown led off the inning with a double to right field, advancing to third on a groundout before scoring on sophomore Joe Champi (Dupont, PA/Pittston)'s double to left-center. Champi came around with the Colonels fourth run on a single to right field off the bat of Reese.

DeSales added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth on three hits, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch to take a 10-4 lead.

Wilkes cut the lead to 10-5 on an rbi sacrifice fly from sophomore Jarret Clymer (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom), and added another three runs in the top of the eighth on four hits and a walk. Freshman Jack Fischer (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) led off the inning with a double to left center and moved over to third on a single Brown before both runners scored on a double down the right field line from senior Ryan Herbst (East Islip, NY/St. John the Baptist). Herbst came home on a two-out single through the right side from Slocum to cut DeSales' lead to 10-8.

The Bulldogs added another three runs in the bottom of the eighth on three hits, one walk, and one error before the Colonels added a final run in the top of the ninth on an rbi single from Herbst who drove home Fischer.

Junior Quinn Kelly (Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) surrendered four earned runs in 1.2 innings on three hits, one walk, and two hit-by-pitches with two strikeouts to fall to 0-3 on the season.

Brown and Fischer had big days at the plate for Wilkes, as Brown finished the game 4-for-5 with one walk and three runs scored while Fischer finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Herbst finished 3-for-6 with three rbi's and one run scored while Eicher was 3-for-5 with one rbi and one run scored.

The Colonels return to action tomorrow when they host DeSales for a 1 p.m. MAC Freedom doubleheader at Artillery Park.