MADISON, NJ – The Wilkes University softball team entered the day in need of one victory to clinch a spot in the upcoming Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) Tournament but fell 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh of game one at FDU-Florham Saturday afternoon. The Colonels rebounded with an emphatic 9-1 victory in six innings to conclude the doubleheader and in doing so earned the No. 3 seed.

Wilkes improved to 8-6 in the MAC Freedom and 25-14 overall with the split. It is the first time the Colonels have reached 25 wins since the 2008 season and just the second time since 2008 that the team has advanced into the conference postseason. FDU-Florham finished its season with a 15-19-1 overall record and at 6-8 in the conference.

Gab Giordano (Moscow, PA/Holy Cross) led off the top of the first inning of game one with a home run, her eighth of the season, to put the Colonels ahead early.

The 1-0 lead stood for the Colonels into the bottom of the seventh. Wilkes was within one out of clinching its postseason position but Dani Sames knocked a walk-off two-run single to left field to give the Devils the 2-1 victory and set up a scenario where the winner of game two would make the MAC Freedom Tournament and the loser would miss out.

Gracen Staunton (Kernersville, NC/Northwest Guilford) took the loss in the circle to fall to 9-6 on the season. She allowed two runs on six hits with two walks, seven strikeouts and one hit batter. Staunton also collected two of the Colonels four hits in game one.

The Colonels started the must-win game two in fine fashion as they scored four two-out runs in the top of the first inning. Staunton plated Erin Cabry (York, PA/Central York) with a double to start the scoring. Sarah Gibson (Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley) then followed with an RBI-single to right center to bring in Staunton. Haley Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) then doubled to score Gibson and then she scored on Celine Podlesney's (Hazle Twp., PA/Hazleton) single to right field as Wilkes went ahead 4-0.

Podlesney was in the circle for the Colonels in game two and kept the Devils to just one run in the second inning when she induced a groundout with the bases loaded to end the threat. Cabry cut down a runner at home for the first out of the inning on a ground ball.

Cabry then led off the third inning with a double and then moved to third on a Staunton single. Cabry then scored on a passed ball. Staunton would then score on a groundout by Podlesney. Britny Jumalon (Torrance, CA/Torrance) then singled to right to bring in Boyd who had walked as the Colonels increased its lead to 7-1.

Jordyn Kondras (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) then led off the sixth inning with a single and after advancing on a wild pitch came into score on a Giordano single. Staunton would reach on a fielder's choice play that advanced Giordano to third. Staunton then stole second and Giordano came into score on a throwing error by the catcher as the Colonels went up by eight runs at 9-1.

Podlesney then shutdown the Devils in the bottom of the sixth as the Colonels locked up the postseason appearance with a win by the eight-run rule. Podlesney improved to 10-5 on the season as she allowed one run on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

Wilkes collected 12 hits in game two. Giordano and Gibson went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run, Cabry was 2-for-3 with two runs and Staunton was 2-for-4 with two runs. Podlesney went 1-for-3 with two RBI's and Boyd went 1-for-2 one RBI, one walk and two runs. Jumalon was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Kondras picked up the other hit as she went 1-for-3 with a run.

The Colonels will host the 2019 MAC Freedom Championship on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at the Ralston Athletic Complex. Wilkes (8-6), the No. 3 seed, will face No. 2 Misericordia (11-3) at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. No. 1 Manhattanville College (13-1) will face No. 4 DeSales University (8-6) at 10:00 a.m. Friday to kick off the double-elimination tournament.