KINGSTON – Junior Chris Nixon (Swoyersville, PA/Wyoming Valley West) threw 7.2 innings of scoreless baseball scattering eight hits and one walk with ten strikeouts to lead the Wilkes University baseball team to a 2-0 victory in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom series-opener against cross-town rival King's College at Artillery Park on Friday afternoon.

The Colonels improved to 14-10 overall and 5-5 in MAC Freedom play.

Wilkes scored its first run in the bottom of the first, as sophomore Jarret Clymer (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) led off the game with a double to left center, advanced to third on a single from junior James Brown (Covington, PA/North Pocono), and was driven in by a double from senior Ryan Herbst (East Islip, NY/St. John the Baptist).

The Colonels scored again in the bottom of the third when Clymer walked and advanced to third on a single from Brown. Brown then stole second allowing Clymer to come home before Brown was thrown out at third to end the inning and give Wilkes a 2-0 lead.

King's placed runners in scoring position in the second, third, fifth, and ninth, but were unable to push any runs across as Nixon worked out each time.

Nixon improved to 3-1 on the season while junior Matt Kaster (Traben-Trabach, Germany/Crestwood) worked the final 1.1 innings to earn his third save of the year, giving up no hits and one walk while striking out three batters.

Clymer led the Colonels at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with one walk and two runs scored while Brown went 2-for-4. Herbst finished 1-for-2 with an rbi.

Wilkes returns to action tomorrow when it will travel to King's for a MAC Freedom doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.