WILLIAMSPORT, PA – Christina Gambino (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) and Haley Welker (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) homered in game one of a non-conference doubleheader at Lycoming College Thursday as the Wilkes University softball team was one out from winning both games. The Lady Colonels took game one 9-1 before falling in the second game 4-3 in eight innings.

With the split, Wilkes is now 17-9 overall while Lycoming, from the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth, stands at 7-15 overall.

Game one got underway with the Lady Colonels scoring a run in the top of the first inning. Jordyn Kondras (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) led off with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Britny Jumalon (Torrance, CA/Torrance). The sacrifice moved the freshman to the top of the single-season sacrifice hits list in program history with 11. Sarah Gibson (Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley) then moved Kondras to third with a single to left field and Kondras scored on a wild pitch when Gracen Staunton (Kernersville, NC/Northwest Guilford) was at bat.

Wilkes added to its lead with two runs in the third inning. Jumalon reached on a fielder's choice and then stole second to put herself in scoring position. Gibson then doubled to right field to pick up the RBI. After a Welker groundout moved Gibson to third, Staunton singled through the right side to score Gibson and put the Lady Colonels ahead 3-0.

Lycoming used a leadoff walk to get a run back in the bottom of the third inning but Wilkes tacked on three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to make the score 6-1.

Jumalon led off with a base hit up the middle and then advanced to second on Gibson's sacrifice bunt. Welker then connected on an RBI-single to center to plate Jumalon. Gambino then hit a home run for the second consecutive day and upped her home run total to six on the season with the two-run shot to center. The long ball was her 100th career hit and moved the senior into fourth place in program history with 15 career home runs.

Wilkes tacked on another run in the sixth inning on a Jumalon double to left center that scored Kondras from first with two outs.

Gambino struck out Cayla Treaster to get out of a bases loaded threat by the Warriors in the bottom of the sixth inning to keep the score 7-1 in favor of Wilkes.

Welker then led off the seventh with a home run to center field on a 1-2 pitch. It was the fourth home run of the season and the 11^th of the junior's career. Staunton then singled to center and moved to third when Sarah Birchmeier (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) reached on an error by the left fielder. Megan Magoon (Barnegat, NJ/Barnegat) then picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Staunton and made it 9-1.

Gambino (3-1) then worked a perfect bottom of the seventh on two line outs and a ground out to pick up the victory and her second complete game from the circle this season. She allowed one earned run on five Warriors hits and four walks with five strikeouts.

The first six batters in the Lady Colonel's lineup all had multi-hit efforts in game one led by Kondras' 3-for-4 effort. It was the second three-hit game of the season for the freshman who scored two runs. Jumalon was 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs, Gibson was 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run, Welker was 2-for-4 with two RBI's and two runs, Staunton was 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run, and Gambino was 2-for-4 with two RBI's and one run.

Wilkes got on the scoreboard first again in game two, this time in the second inning. Gambino singled through the right side with two outs and advanced to second on a fielding error by the right fielder. Alexis Kessler (Bangor, PA/Bangor) then drove her in with an RBI base hit to center.

The Lady Colonels added two runs in the top of the third to make the game two score 3-0. Jumalon walked and then Gibson singled through the left side. Welker then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners ahead and Staunton hit a two-run single up the middle to score Jumalon and Gibson.

Celine Podlesney (Hazle Twp., PA/Hazleton) worked the first three innings allowing just one hit and one walk. Lycoming then scored one run in the bottom of the fourth inning and another in the sixth. Darci Warriner doubled to start the bottom of the seventh inning off Podlesney and then Gambino moved into the circle to try to earn the save. She struck out the first batter she faced and got the next to fly out to Mia Lussier (Somerset, MA/Somerset Berkley) in right field. On the play, Warriner advanced to third and then Lydia Yorks singled through the left side to knot the game at 3-3 and force extra innings.

Birchmeier, who pinch ran for Gibson, was placed on second to start the top of the eighth but the Lady Colonels were unable to produce at the plate and Lycoming received its chance with a runner starting at second. A bunt and sacrifice fly were enough for the Warriors to score the winning run and take game two 4-3.

Staunton was 2-for-4 with two RBI's and Kessler was 2-for-3 with one RBI to lead Wilkes at the plate in game two. Jumalon added a double a run scored and Gibson and Gambino also each had one hit and one run scored.

Podlesney went 6 innings allowing three earned runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Gambino (3-2) went the final 1.1 innings allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout.

The Lady Colonels get back to Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom action when they travel to Purchase, N.Y. to face Manhattanville College Saturday with game one of a doubleheader set to start at 1:00 p.m.