EDWARDSVILLE – Senior Tony Molitoris (Hanover Twp., PA/Holy Redeemer) pitched a strong game and first year Chase Vrabel (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland) hit an important two-run home run in the eighth inning as the Wilkes University baseball team defeated Stevens Institute of Technology 5-3 Friday afternoon at Bruggeworth Field to begin a Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) series.

Wilkes improved to 4-9 in the conference and 16-13 overall with the victory on home turf. Stevens, who is receiving votes in this week's D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 Poll, fell to 8-5 in the league and to 21-10 overall.

The Colonels gained a 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the second inning. Sean Granahan (Pottstown, PA/Wilson West Lawn) led off with a double down the right field line and then moved to third on a single up the middle by Nick Pronti (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Wood-Ridge). AJ Brosious (Laurys Station, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) then singled through the right side to bring home Granahan. With one out, Vrabel was hit by a pitch to load the bases and then Jason Spezzaferra (Maywood, NJ/Hackensack) singled through the left side to bring in Pronti to make it 2-0.

That score held until the top of the sixth when the Ducks scored one run, using a hit by pitch and walk followed by a single.

In the bottom of the seventh Wilkes added one run. Spezzaferra led off with a single to right and Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) walked. Peyton Schuck (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy) advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt and then Brandon Reno (Hunlock Creek, PA/Northwest Area) brought in Spezzaferra with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 3-1.

Vrabel's blast came in the eighth over the right field fence for his first career home run. Brosious, who reached on a fielder's choice bunt scored on the home run that made it 5-1.

Stevens scored two runs on three hits in the top of the ninth and left runners at first and second as Sawyer Kemp (Nescopeck, PA/Berwick) got the final out with a pop up to Pronti at shortstop to preserve the 5-3 win.

Molitoris (2-2) commanded the strike zone throughout to earn the win. He went 7.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Kemp, who entered with two on and one out in the eighth with the score 3-1 earned his fourth save of the season. He went 1.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Justin Doyle (3-1) took the loss for Stevens as he pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Anthony Pron gave up three runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts over the final two innings for the Ducks.

Spezzaferra went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Brosious was 2-for-4 with an RBI as they were the Colonels to finish with multiple hits. Vrabel was 1-for-3 with two RBI's as Reno added the other RBI in the game.

The Colonels will finish their conference series with Stevens tomorrow as the two play a doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m. in Hoboken, N.J.