KINGSTON – Jarret Clymer (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) reached base in all five at-bats and Matt Reinert (Telford, PA/Souderton), Brady Wing (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt), and Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) collected two RBI's as the Wilkes University baseball team defeated FDU-Florham 8-6 Friday afternoon at Artillery Park. The Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) victory kept the Colonels in a current playoff position as the team kicked off a five game slate this weekend of important conference games.

Wilkes improved to 13-12 overall and to 8-5 in MAC Freedom action while FDU-Florham fell to 8-19 overall and to 2-11 in the conference.

The Devils sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the first inning and scored three runs before leaving the bases loaded as the visitors jumped out to the early lead.

The Colonels tied the game in the bottom of the second with a four-hit inning. Clymer led things off with a single up the middle and then moved to second on Alex Halladay (West Chester, PA/Bayard Rustin)'s single to left field. Reinert then singled to the fence down the left field line to score Clymer and move Halladay to second. Tyler Walther (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) then followed with the fourth consecutive base hit for the Colonels with one through the right side to plate Halladay and move Reinert to third. Patrizio then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring in Reinert and tie the game at 3-3.

FDU-Florham regained the lead on a Reynaldo Diaz solo home run in the top of the fourth.

Walther tripled down the right field line to start the bottom of the fourth and then scored on Patrizio's one-out single to the middle infield that the second baseman knocked down as Wilkes tied the game at 4-4.

Wilkes then exploded for four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth inning. Clymer got the inning started with a one-out base knock through the right side. Halladay then singled to left center to move Clymer ahead. Reinert's double to left field then scored Clymer to put the Colonels ahead 5-4. Walther would then walk to load the bases and with Wing at the plate all the runners would advance on a wild pitch with Halladay coming into score. Wing then knocked a two-run single up the middle to score Reinert and Walther making the score 8-4.

FDU-Florham chipped away with an unearned run in the top of the seventh on two hits and one error but Colin Smith (Purdys, NY/Somers) got a fly out to right field with runners at second and third to get out of trouble.

Wilkes took a three-run lead to the ninth but the Devils scored one run. Andrew Indzonka (New Windsor, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) then came on and got the final out on a groundout to Patrizio at shortstop who flipped to Jack Fischer (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) covering at second for the force out with the bases loaded.

Clymer went 4-for-4 with a walk and two runs as he reached base in all five plate appearances. Halladay went 3-for-5 with two runs. Also collecting multiple hits for the Colonels were Reinert (2-for-4, 1 walk, 2 RBI's, 2 runs), Walther (2-for-3, 1 walk, 1 RBI, 2 runs), and Patrizio (2-for-3, 2 RBI's). Wing went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI's.

On the mound, Noah Durnin (Bath, PA/Northampton) (1-2) earned his first victory of the season going the first five innings. The junior gave up four earned runs on five hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Jeremy Yzeik (Waymart, PA/Holy Cross) then went 1.1 innings allowing one run (zero earned) and two hits. Smith came on for 1.2 innings allowing just one hit. Nolan Ott (Montoursville, PA/Montoursville Area) earned the first two outs of the ninth inning and gave up one run on one hit and three walks. Indzonka collected his second save of the season as he earned the final out.

The Colonels travel to Madison, N.J. tomorrow for a MAC Freedom doubleheader at FDU-Florham starting at 1:00 p.m. and then will host Delaware Valley University in another conference doubleheader on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in the pivotal weekend of games.