Wilkes Baseball Splits Pair of One-Run Games with Misericordia
EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University baseball team salvaged a Saturday split with Misericordia, taking game two 9-8 after dropping the first game 2-1 in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) action from Bruggeworth Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Colonels and Cougars are both now 2-4.
In game two, Wilkes exploded out of the gate for seven runs in the top of the first. Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) led off with a walk and advanced to second on a single from Dominick Bayo (Swoyersville, PA/Wyoming Valley West). Nick Pronti (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Wood-Ridge) followed with a fly out to left that moved Patrizio to third before Brandon Reno (Hunlock Creek, PA/Northwest Area) singled to left, scoring Patrizio and moving Bayo to third. Nick Malatesta (Bloomsburg, PA/Bloomsburg) singled to right scoring Bayo and moving Reno to second, followed by a single to left by Stone Wormuth (Carbondale, PA/Carbondale) to load the bases. After a pop-out, Matt Reinert (Telford, PA/Souderton) singled to center bringing home Reno and Malatesta and advancing Wormuth to third. Vinny Bobbin (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Blue Mountain) stepped to the plate and doubled to left scoring Wormuth before Patrizio reached on a throwing error by the second baseman that brought home Reinert and Bobbin, chasing Misericordia's starter from the game.
The Cougars got on the board in the top of the fifth with two runs on two hits and a walk.
The Colonels responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Jonah Harder (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) led off the inning with a single to center before advancing to second on a single to left from Reinert. Bobbin followed with a sacrifice bunt to load the bases before Patrizio hit a sacrifice fly to right bringing home Harder. Bayo reached on an error by the third baseman that brought home Reinert.
Misericordia added four runs in the top of the sixth, and two in the top of the ninth before Wilkes nailed down the win.
Tony Molitoris (Hanover Twp., PA/Holy Redeemer) earned the win allowing six runs over 5.2 innings on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Gage Coudriet (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) and Jonathan Martens (Mt. Pocono, PA/Scranton Prep) pitched 2.1 shutout innings before Andrew Indzonka (New Windsor, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) earned the save after surrendering two runs on one hit with one walk and one strikeout in the ninth.
Bayo, Reno, Wormuth, and Reinert led the way at the plate in game one with two hits apiece.
Game one was a pitchers' duel, with Cougars starter Tom Jacob and Colonels pitcher JT Hibschman (Millville, NJ/Millville) allowing a single run each.
Wilkes kept the scoreboard clean with a top-notch play in the top of the third after Misericordia loaded the bases with a bunt single and no outs. Sean Boylan flied out to Harder in right, who threw a laser to Bobbin at the plate, applying the tag to the runner for the double play before Hibschman coaxed a ground out to Reno at third, ending the threat.
Misericordia got on the board in the top of the fourth on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch.
Wilkes tied the score in the bottom of the fifth after Bayo led off with a triple to the gap in right center before Pronti brought him home with a sacrifice fly to right field.
The Cougars took the lead in the top of the seventh on a run-scoring triple before the Colonels went down in order in their half of the inning to end the game.
Hibschman was stellar for the second-straight outing, allowing one run over six innings on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Indzonka suffered the loss after allowing the single run on one hit with two strikeouts and a walk.
Bayo and Darren Kerdesky (Dallas, PA/Dallas) had one hit each for Wilkes in game one.
The Colonels return to action tomorrow when they travel to Misericordia for the final two games in the season series with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
