EDWARDSVILLE, PA – The Wilkes University baseball team lost two tightly contested games of its Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom doubleheader to visiting Arcadia University, who is receiving votes in the latest D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 poll, at Bruggeworth Field Saturday afternoon. Arcadia won game one 1-0 in nine innings and took game two 7-4.

Wilkes dropped to 7-8 overall and to 1-4 in the conference with the pair of losses. Arcadia improved to 8-6 overall and 4-1 in the league.

Game one was a pitcher's duel between Tony Molitoris (Hanover Twp., PA/Holy Redeemer) and Hunter Sibley. Molitoris (0-2) took a no hitter through six and one-third innings and pitched all nine innings for the Colonels. He gave up one run (zero earned) on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

Curley earned a no decision as he pitched seven innings of shutout ball with just three hits, one walk and eight strikeouts. Hunter Sibley (1-2) pitched the final 2.0 innings to earn the win for the Knights as he did not allow a hit and struck out three Colonels to preserve the shutout.

Arcadia scratched the winning run across in the second extra inning as Justin Massielo scored on an errant pickoff throw to third by Molitoris.

Todd Kolbicka (Hanover Twp., PA/Hanover) was 2-for-4 in game one for the Colonels.

In game two the Knights took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second with two singles and a double.

The Colonels gained their first lead of the day in the bottom of the third with three runs on three hits and an error. Ryan Johnston (Garden City, NY/Chaminade) led off with a single up the middle and then advanced to second when Devin Markert (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area) reached on an error by the first baseman. Jason Spezzaferra (Maywood, NJ/Hackensack) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Peyton Schuck (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy) then hit a two-out single to right field to bring in Johnston. Darren Kerdesky (Dallas, PA/Dallas) followed with a triple past a sliding attempt by the right fielder to bring home Markert and Schuck but was out at the plate trying to stretch it into an inside the park home run but not before putting Wilkes ahead 3-2.

Arcadia tied the game in the top of the fifth with two singles and a squeeze bunt play. The Knights went ahead 4-3 in the top of the sixth following a triple and a failed pickoff attempt error.

Wilkes tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as Kerdesky singled with two outs and then stole second. Mike Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) drove in Kerdesky with a single to center field to tie the score.

Arcadia earned the winning runs in the top of the seven, scoring three times on three hits with one error.

Wilkes managed to get the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh as the Colonels loaded the bases all with two outs on a Johnston single, AJ Brosious (Laurys Station, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) walk, and Connor Morgan (Dallas, PA/Lake Lehman) single. Arcadia was able to get a groundout to preserve the win.

Aiden Murphy (Mountain Top, PA/Wyoming Seminary) took a no decision for Wilkes as he started on the mound and went 6.0 innings allowing four runs on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Sawyer Kemp (Nescopeck, PA/Berwick) (0-3) took the loss as he allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks with one strikeout in the seventh.

Zach Steiger started and took a no decision for Arcadia as he went 5.0 innings allowing three runs (zero earned) on three hits with three strikeouts. Nadell Booker (3-1) earned the win as he pitched the sixth inning allowing two hits and one run. Sibley earned his third save of the season allowing two hits and a walk with one strikeout in the seventh.

Kerdesky was 2-for-3 with two RBI's and a run scored while Johnston was also 2-for-3 with a run in game two.

The two sides finish their three-game series with a nine-inning game tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. with Arcadia hosting in Glenside, Pa.