EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University softball team opened play at the Ralston Athletic Complex in the 2020 season with plenty of offense as the Colonels racked up 10 runs in both ends of a doubleheader against Albright College to earn the sweep on Wednesday afternoon. The Colonels took game one 10-7 and game two 10-2 in five innings.

With the pair of home victories Wilkes improved to 8-5 overall on the season. Albright dropped to 0-2 as these were the Lions first games of the season.

Albright took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning of game one with aggressive base running that led to an error to bring in a run.

The Colonels immediately responded in the bottom of the third. Jessie Smith (Millersville, MD/Severna Park) reached with one out on a fielding error and then Caylee-Mae Williams (Yuba City, CA/River Valley) singled to right field to move Smith to third. Jordyn Kondras (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) then reached on a bunt play to load the bases. Erin Cabry (York, PA/Central York) hit a two-RBI double to left that scored Smith and Williams to give Wilkes a 2-1 lead. Kondras then scored on a wild pitch. Then with two outs Gracen Staunton (Kernersville, NC/Northwest Guilford) singled up the middle to bring in Cabry to make it a four-run inning.

The Lions answered back with six runs on five hits and two Colonels errors in the top of the fourth to grab a 7-4 lead.

Rachel Pritchard (Wilmington, DE/Concord) entered the circle to get the final out of the fourth for the Colonels on a groundout to second and then hit a leadoff home run over the leftfield fence in the bottom of the frame to make the score 7-5. It was her first home run in the Navy and Gold.

The Colonels rally continued in the bottom of the fifth when Cabry reached on an error and then moved to second on a wild pitch. Sarah Gibson (Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley) then singled to right to move Cabry to third. Staunton then singled through the right side to score Cabry. After a Britny Jumalon (Torrance, CA/Torrance) groundout moved the runners up a base, it was Celine Podlesney (Hazle Twp., PA/Hazleton) who singled to right to bring in pinch runner Sennie Viramontes (Anaheim, CA/Magnolia) from third to tie the score at 7-7. Pritchard then singled through the left side to give the Colonels the lead as Staunton scored.

In the sixth Kondras reached on an error to start the inning and then moved ahead to third on a double by Cabry to left center. Gibson then hit an RBI groundout to shortstop to score Kondras and also move Cabry to third. Staunton then followed with another run-scoring groundout to the shortstop to make the score 10-7.

Cabry (2-for-4 with two RBI's and three runs), Staunton (2-for-4 with three RBI's and one run), Jumalon (2-for-4), and Pritchard (2-for-2 with a home run and two RBI's) led the way at the plate for the Colonels in game one.

Pritchard earned the win to improve to 4-1 in the circle as she went the final 3.1 innings scoreless allowing just one hit and three walks with three strikeouts. Rhia Aurand (Avondale, PA/Avon Grove) started the game and went 3.2 innings allowing seven runs (one earned).

The Colonels bats stayed hot in game two as Wilkes plated three runs in the first. Kondras led off with a single to center after an 11-pitch at-bat. Cabry then singled through the left side. After two fly outs, Jumalon knocked a two-run double to left center. Emma Stauffer (Media, PA/Penncrest) then brought in Jumalon with an RBI single to centerfield to give Wilkes a 3-0 lead.

Albright strung together four hits to start the top of the second to score two runs but the Colonels defense was able to work its way to the next three outs to leave the half inning with the lead still.

Pritchard led off the bottom of the third with an infield single and moved to second on a groundout. Jumalon then singled through the left side to move Pritchard to third and then stole second. Podlesney then came through with a clutch two-out hit to center to score both Pritchard and Jumalon and push the Colonels lead to 5-2.

Staunton hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to make the score 6-2. Kondras scored on the hit after starting the inning with a double down the leftfield line.

Stauffer started the bottom of the fifth with a double to left center and then moved ahead to third with one out when Smith singled to right. Haley Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) then walked to load the bases and Kondras singled to left to bring in Stauffer. Then with two outs, Pritchard laced a double to the right centerfield gap to clear the bases and give the Colonels a 10-2 win by the eight-run rule.

Kondras led an offensive onslaught with a 3-for-4 game with one RBI and three runs. Pritchard went 2-for-4 with three RBI's and one run. Jumalon, Stauffer, Podlesney, and Smith all finished 2-for-3 as Wilkes pounded out 15 hits.

Podlesney earned her first victory of the season in the circle to improve to 1-3. The senior pitched all five innings allowing two runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

The Colonels begin Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom play on Saturday with a scheduled doubleheader at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. at 1:00 p.m.