FORT PIERCE, FL – The Wilkes University baseball team began its Spring Break Trip to Florida in fine fashion Saturday as the Colonels defeated SUNY Maritime College 14-3.

With the victory Wilkes improved to 3-0 on the young season. Maritime dropped to 4-3 with the loss.

Wilkes opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning as Chase Vrabel (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland) started the inning with his first career hit. He then moved to third on a two-out double by Nick Pronti (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Wood-Ridge). Vrabel then scored on an error.

The Colonels then put four runs on the board in the fourth inning. Brandon Reno (Hunlock Creek, PA/Northwest Area) walked and then went to third on a double by Zack Luksic (Shavertown, PA/Dallas) and would score on a wild pitch. Max Alessi (Wallenpaupack, PA/Wallenpaupack) then doubled to drive in Luksic. He then crossed the plate on a double by Vrabel. Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) then brought in Vrabel with a single for the 5-0 lead.

Reno tripled with one out in the fifth inning and would then score on an Alessi single to make it 6-0 Colonels.

The Privateers cut the lead in half in the top of the seventh inning with three runs on three hits and two walks.

Wilkes put the game away with an eight-run eighth inning. Dominick Bayo (Swoyersville, PA/Wyoming Valley West) started the inning with a double and was driven in by Darren Kerdesky (Dallas, PA/Dallas). A Reno single would score Pronti who had walked and Kerdesky. Jimmy Brazofsky (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) would score on an error after he had reached on an error and Reno also scored on the play as well. Connor Morgan (Dallas, PA/Lake Lehman) would reach on a fielder's choice and score on a fielder's choice as well. Vrabel then doubled for his fourth hit of the game. Jason Spezzaferra (Maywood, NJ/Hackensack) then singled and Bayo would bring in Vrabel with his second double of the inning. Pronti then brought in Bayo with a single for the eighth run of the inning where Wilkes brought 13 batters to the plate.

Vrabel went 4-for-5 with three runs and an RBI. Reno was 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI's and a walk. Kerdesky went 3-for-6 with one RBI and Alessi was 2-for-5 with two RBI's as they collected a combined 12 of the Colonels 20 hits.

Pitching was also the story for the Colonels on Saturday as JT Hibschman (Millville, NJ/Millville) (1-0) earned the victory, going 6.0 innings of scoreless two-hit ball. He struck out six with three walks. Tyler Hoedl (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Holy Redeemer), Mike Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights), and Nate Jaslar (Hanover, PA/Hanover) recorded the final nine outs. Show made his Wilkes pitching debut with 1.2 innings pitched without allowing a hit and striking out two. Jaslar also made his mound debut for the Colonels pitching a scoreless ninth inning without allowing a hit.

Wilkes returns to the diamond tomorrow for a doubleheader against Norwich University with the first game starting at 12:30 p.m.