KINGSTON – Vincent Uzzi (Shoreham, NY/Shoreham-Wading River)'s two-out, three-run double in the bottom of the fourth of game two gave Wilkes its first lead since the second inning of Friday's game, helping the Wilkes University baseball team take game two 13-6 after dropping game one of its Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) doubleheader with Manhattanville College at Artillery Park by a 5-4 final on Saturday afternoon.

The Colonels are now 7-5 in conference and 12-12 overall.

Manhattanville opened the scoring in game one with a run scoring groundout in the top of the first and a two-run single in the top of the second to take a 3-0 lead.

Wilkes got on the board in the bottom of the second when Alex Halladay (West Chester, PA/Bayard Rustin) and Matt Reinert (Telford, PA/Souderton) hit a pair of two-out singles before Tyler Walther (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) walked to load the bases and each runner moved up a base on a wild pitch. Brady Wing (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt), who was at the plate, the drilled a two run single to tie the score at three.

The game remained even until the top of the seventh when the Valiants scored two runs on a two-out fielding error.

The Colonels attempted a comeback in the bottom of the inning as Jack Fischer (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) hit a two-out run scoring double to put runners at second and third, but following an intentional walk of Joe Champi (Dupont, PA/Pittston) to load the bases,  Manhattanville changed pitchers and earned a strikeout to close the game.

Colin Smith (Purdys, NY/Somers) suffered the defeat, tossing the final two innings, surrendering two runs (zero earned) on no hits with four walks and one strikeout. Jeremy Worlinsky (Swoyersville, PA/Holy Redeemer) started on the hill for Wilkes, going the initial five innings and giving up three runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery), Fischer, Halladay, Reinert, and Wing each tallied one hit in the first game.

Game two started much like the other two games in this series, as the Valiants took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single.

The Colonels tied the score in the bottom of the first when Jarret Clymer (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) doubled down the left field line, bringing in Patrizio, who led off with a walk, moved to second on a Fischer walk, and went to third on a flyout.

Manhattanville retook the lead in the top of the third with three runs on four hits and an error to go up 4-1.

Wilkes immediately responded in the bottom of the frame when Champi led off with a walk and came around on Nicholas Capozzi (Syracuse, NY/Christian Brothers Academy)'s booming two-run home run over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 4-3.

The Valiants took their two-run lead right back in the top of the fourth with one run on three hits.

Uzzi's heroics came into play in the bottom of the inning when he cleared the bases with a double to left center, bringing home Fischer, Champi, and Clymer. Fischer and Champi both singled while Clymer reached on a walk. Reinert brought home Uzzi with an RBI single to left to give the Colonels a 7-5 lead.

Manhattanville cut the lead to one when it scored on a throwing error as Wilkes tried to complete a double play.

The Colonels put the game away in the later innings, when Capozzi singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth to score Wing and Patrizio and hand Wilkes a 9-6 lead. Champi put a bow on the much-needed victory with a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth, staying back on an first pitch off-speed pitch and launching it out to left to bring around Reinert, Wing, and Fischer, who all reached without putting the ball in play.

Matt Amaral (Taylor, PA/Riverside) improved to 4-2 on the season, throwing 4.2 innings and allowing six runs (five earned) on 10 hits with three walks and one strikeout. Andrew Indzonka (New Windsor, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) and Nolan Ott (Montoursville, PA/Montoursville Area) closed out the victory with 2.1 combined scoreless innings.

Capozzi finished game two 3-for-5 with one run scored and four RBI's. Champi (2-3, three runs, four RBI's), Uzzi (2-4, one run, three RBI's), and Reinert (2-3, one run scored, one RBI) led the way at the plate.

Wilkes returns to the field on Wednesday when it travels to Penn State-Schuylkill for a 3:00 p.m. non-conference game.