CENTER VALLEY, PA – The Wilkes University baseball team earned a hard fought doubleheader split at DeSales University Saturday afternoon in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) action as both games went to extra innings. The Colonels took game one by a 4-3 score in eight innings before the Bulldogs were able to escape with game two by a 2-1 final also in eight innings.

DeSales took the three-game series by a 2-to-1 count from Wilkes after winning Friday's single game 11-4. Wilkes now stands at 4-5 in the MAC Freedom through three of seven series and are 7-12 overall. DeSales is now 6-3 in conference play and 9-11 overall.

The Colonels got out to an early lead in the top of the first inning of game one with two runs.  Jonah Harder (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) hit a leadoff single to third base but then the Colonels had to restart things with two outs following a double play. Nicholas Capozzi (Syracuse, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) walked and then Brandon Reno (Hunlock Creek, PA/Northwest Area) knocked his second home run of the season to leftfield to provide Wilkes with the early lead.

DeSales answered with one run in the bottom of the first as a two-out double followed by a single plated a run.

Wilkes added a run to its lead in the top of the fifth inning. Harder reached with a single to centerfield and then moved to third on Jack Fischer's (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) base hit to right. Capozzi then hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Harder as the Colonels went up 3-1.

JT Hibschman (Millville, NJ/Millville) sailed into the sixth inning on the mound for the Colonels but the Bulldogs were able to follow a leadoff walk with an Isaiah Goodman pinch hit two-run homer to tie the game at 3-3.

The game then went to extra innings where Wilkes plated the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning. Matt Reinert (Telford, PA/Souderton), Bryan Nifenecker (Amityville, NY/St. Dominic) and Vinny Bobbin (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Blue Mountain) walked to load the bases and the Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) hit a one-out sacrifice fly to bring in Reinert for the 4-3 lead.

Hibschman continued on the mound for the Colonels in extra innings and was able to get the first two hitters to groundout. Andrew Indzonka (New Windsor, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) then entered and stuck out Goodman to earn the final out and his fourth save of the season.

Hibschman (2-0) earned the second win of his freshman season after going 7.2 innings allowing three runs on just four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Will Manley (2-2) took the loss for DeSales after her threw the last 3.1 innings. The Colonels chased starter Ian Kacergis after eight hits in 4.2 innings. Harder and Reno finished game one 2-for-4 and each scored one run and Reno added two RBI's. Patrizio went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

DeSales took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning of game two after three two-out singles.

Wilkes would tie the game in the top of the fifth after Brady Wing (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) scored following a leadoff double to left center. He advanced to third on Jared Angerman's (Northampton, PA/Northampton Area) groundout and then scored on Nifenecker's pinch-hit RBI groundout to second.

Game two went to extra innings as well but this time it was DeSales that scored the one run in the bottom of the eighth as the home team strung together three singles to record the walk-off 2-1 win.

Zack Metz (Quakertown, PA/Quakertown) (0-1) suffered the loss as he allowed one run on three hits in 1.2 innings of work with two strikeouts. Gage Coudriet (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) went 3.2 innings as the starter for the Colonels as he allowed one run on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Nolan Ott (Montoursville, PA/Montoursville Area) work 2.0 scoreless innings in the middle as he allowed one hit with one walk and one strikeout.

Austin Kroeger (1-2) earned the win for the Bulldogs as he went the final 1.2 innings without allowing a hit. Starter, Felix Martinez went the first 6.1 innings as he gave up one run on four hits.

Wing went 2-for-3 with a run scored in game two to lead the Colonels. Reno and Angerman collected the other two hits for Wilkes.

The Colonels will return home to Artillery Park to host Marywood University for a non-conference nine inning game scheduled for Tuesday, April 2 at 3:30 p.m.