Big Inning Hurts Wilkes Baseball against Muskingum

FORT PIERCE, Fl. – Three runs in the first and four in the eighth were the difference as the Wilkes University baseball was defeated 8-3 against Muskingum University in non-conference action on Monday afternoon.

The Colonels fell to 0-4 with the loss.

Muskingum started the game with a triple, double, and home run in the first three batter to race out to a 3-0 lead.

Wilkes crossed the plate in the bottom of the second when Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) doubled to center, bringing home Darren Kerdesky (Dallas, PA/Dallas), who walked with one out and moved to second on a Matt Reinert (Telford, PA/Souderton) single.

The Muskies added a fourth run in the top of the fourth with a solo homer.

The Colonels closed the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh on a bases loaded two-out, two-run single from Bryan Nifenecker (Amityville, NY/St. Dominic), driving home Jonah Harder (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Nick Pronti (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Wood-Ridge).

Muskingum put the game away with a four-run top of the eighth.

Matt Amaral (Taylor, PA/Riverside) fell to 0-1 with the loss, allowing four runs on six hits with one walk and one strikeout over four innings. Gage Coudriet (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) pitched the following four innings, allowing four runs on six hits with one strikeout. Nolan Ott (Montoursville, PA/Montoursville Area) pitched a clean ninth to finish the game.

Pronti finished 2-for-3 with one run scored and two walks. Nifenecker was 2-for-5 with two rbi's while Brandon Reno (Hunlock Creek, PA/Northwest Area) went 2-for-5 to lead Wilkes at the plate.

The Colonels return to action on Tuesday when they face Northland College starting at 11:00 a.m.