KINGSTON, PA – Nicholas Capozzi (Syracuse, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) drove the fourth pitch of the bottom of ninth inning deep to left field and over the fence to hand the Wilkes University baseball team a 7-6 walk-off victory in the first game of a Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) series with crosstown rival King's College Friday at Artillery Park.

With the victory Wilkes improved to 4-3 in the MAC Freedom and to 8-10 overall. King's dropped to 3-4 in conference games and 8-9 overall.

The Colonels opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first. Jack Fischer (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) singled and then moved to third on a double to left center by Joe Champi (Dupont, PA/Pittston). Jarret Clymer (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) then knocked a two-out RBI single to score Fischer and Capozzi singled through the left side to bring home Champi.

Matthew Konikow (Mahwah, NJ/Mahwah) allowed just three hits through the first four innings before the Monarchs put together a good inning at the plate to take the lead in the fifth. King's plated four runs on five hits in the inning including a two-run home run by Chris Rebar.

Wilkes answered with its own four-run inning in the bottom of the sixth to go back ahead 6-4. Matt Reinert (Telford, PA/Souderton) started the inning with a one-out walk. Billy McNeill, the King's starting pitcher, then walked Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) with two outs and was removed from the game. Brady Wing (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) was then walked and Fischer followed suit with another free pass that forced Reinert into score. Matt Hassick then hit Champi with a pitch to bring in Patrizio. Anthony Favor (Woodbridge, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) then entered as a pinch hitter to face the new reliever Nick Deno and drove a two-run single to left to score Wing and Fischer.

King's chipped into the lead with a run in the top of the seventh one hit and one walk. Sean Padden then led off the eighth inning with a home run to center to tie the game at six.

Capozzi then provided the dramatic conclusion to the game as he took a 2-1 pitch deep to left and was mobbed by his teammates at the plate. It was the second home run of the season for the junior and the third of his career.

Capozzi went 3-for-5 with two RBI's to lead the offense. Champi, Clymer, and Patrizio all had two hits on the day including one double.

Colin Smith (Purdys, NY/Somers) (2-1) was the winning pitcher for the Colonels after working a scoreless top of the ninth inning. Konikow went the first five innings allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks with one strikeout. Matt Maranca (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) worked 1.1 innings allowing just one walk while Noah Durnin (Bath, PA/Northampton) went 0.2 innings giving up one run on one hit and a walk with one strikeout. Andrew Indzonka (New Windsor, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) went one inning allowing one run on one hit and he stuck out one as well.

The Colonels finish their three-game series with King's tomorrow (Saturday) when they play a doubleheader at Lipo Field. The first pitch of game one is slated for 1:00 p.m.