MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Wilkes University softball team opened its spring break trip splitting a pair of games on day one in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Colonels fell 4-3 in game one of the day to Penn State Harrisburg before cruising to a 15-3 victory in five innings over Hilbert College in the second game of the afternoon.
 
In the win against Hilbert, the Colonels pounded out 17 hits on way to the five-inning victory. After Hilbert took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Wilkes responded with two in the bottom of the frame thanks to a two-run single from Nicole Howell (Tunkhannock, PA/Tunkhannock Area).
 
Nicole O'Rourke (Staten Island, NY/Susan E Wagner) added to the lead in the bottom of the second connecting on an RBI triple before Haylee Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) singled home O'Rourke to give Wilkes a 4-1 advantage. Sister Hayden Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) joined the hitting party with an RBI single to push the Colonels ahead 5-1 after two.
 
Wilkes then broke the game open in the bottom of the third scoring 10 runs in the frame on eight hits. Taylor Douple (Fredericksburg, PA/Northern Lebanon), Hayden Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area), Marissa Pick (Watsontown, PA/Warrior Run) and Evan Sherrick (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield) all notched RBI hits in the inning as the Colonels led 15-1 after three.
 
Ten different Colonels posted a hit in the game led by Pick's 3-for-3, two RBI day. Lauren DeMarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) earned the win in the circle pitching three innings allowing one run on two hits. Sami Hendershott (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) followed pitching two innings allowing two runs on three hits.
 
Wilkes opened the day with a tough matchup against Penn State Harrisburg where the Lions began the game with a 1-0 lead after a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame. The Harrisburg lead grew to 3-0 after two innings as a two-run single provided the damage for the Lions.
 
Wilkes got on the board in the top of the third as Howell drilled a two-run double before being thrown out trying to advance to third to cut the deficit to one at 3-2.
 
After Harrisburg added a run in the bottom of the fourth, Wilkes tried one last time to tie the game in the seventh as Hayden Calaman's (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) RBI triple brought the Colonels to within one at 4-3 with one out. A fly out to right field and strikeout ended the hopes of a full comeback for the Colonels.
 
Wilkes mustered just four hits in the game as Harrisburg's MacKenzie Sawdey pitched the complete game for the win striking out eight.
 
Hope Mullins (Midland, VA/Liberty) pitched three innings allowing three runs on four hits in the loss for Wilkes. DeMarco pitched the final three allowing one run on three hits.
 
Wilkes is back in action tomorrow with another pair of games. The Colonels open the day with a game against Blackburn College at 9:00 a.m. before another contest against Dean College at 3:00 p.m.