Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  
SELINSGROVE –  The Wilkes baseball team lost two close games to Susquehanna University in their Saturday afternoon Landmark Conference doubleheader at Bollinger Field.
 
The Colonels fell to 21-14 overall while moving to 11-11 in the Landmark. The River Hawks jumped to 18-20 on the season and 14-9 in conference play.
 
Mike Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) led off the top of the second inning with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a passed ball. He was knocked home by Jacob Cambria (Elysburg, PA/Southern Columbia), who singled through the right side of the infield to open up a 1-0 lead for Wilkes.
 
The Colonels added an insurance run in the top of the third after Nathan Loch (Effort, PA/Pleasant Valley) reached on an error by the River Hawk second baseman and came around to score on a steal, passed ball and sacrifice fly by Chase Vrabel (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland) to build the lead to 2-0.
 
The bats of both teams quieted for the fourth and fifth frames, as the score remained 2-0 in favor of Wilkes.
 
Susquehanna got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a single through the left side and a bases loaded walk, tying the game at 2-2. The Colonels were able to avoid further damage when Mi. Show, who had relieved starting pitcher Zachary Lloyd (Scranton, PA/West Scranton), got a River Hawk to line into a 6-4 double play.
 
Evan Melberger (West Pittston, PA/Wyoming Area), who had entered the game to replace Mi. Show in center field, walked to put the go-ahead run on base in the top of the seventh. He moved across the diamond to third on a single by shortstop Matthew Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights), then crossed the plate on a double-steal of second base and home to restore the Wilkes lead.
 
Susquehanna did more damage in the bottom of the eighth after a leadoff hit-by-pitch came around to score on a single up the middle to tie the game at three. The home team took a 4-3 lead on the second bases-loaded walk of the afternoon.
 
The Colonels were unable to knot the score back up in their final scheduled at-bats and dropped a close game one of the doubleheader 4-3.
 
Lloyd gave up two runs on seven hits, striking out four batters through 5.1 innings on the mound. Mi. Show, who came on in relief, was charged with the loss and moved to 0-2 on the season. Luke Spencer (Lehman, PA/Lake Lehman), Mi. Show, Cambria and Ma. Show all recorded a hit in the win while Vrabel and Cambria provided the Colonels' two RBIs.
 
Brice Gregory pitched 1.0 relief inning that put him in line for the win, improving his record to 2-1. Vincent Mariella picked up his third save of the season after closing out the ninth for Susquehanna. Tyler Hmielewski recorded a pair of RBIs on two hits while Jack Cahill came around to score twice in the win.
 
After two innings of scoreless baseball to start game two, a two-on, two-out double to left center scored a pair of River Hawk runners to put them up 2-0 in the bottom of the third.
 
Susquehanna piled on four more runs in the bottom fourth on a double, sac-fly and wild pitch to build their lead up to 6-0.
 
The Colonels threatened in the top of the fifth after loading the bases, however a flyout to left kept the Blue and Gold off the scoresheet.
 
The River Hawks added another run after a sac-fly brought home the leadoff batter from third base to expand their advantage to 7-0.
 
Jimmy Brazofsky (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) worked a walk in the top of the sixth to put the leadoff batter on base for Cambria, who walked as well. Ma. Show then reached on a fielder's choice that put runners on the corners for Loch, who took the third walk of the inning to juice the bases with one out. Vrabel put the Colonels on the board with a two-run single to left that scored Brazofsky and Ma. Show and cut the deficit to five runs.
 
Wilkes continued to apply pressure in the seventh as the designated hitter Devin Markert (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area) crushed a leadoff double down the left field line, putting a runner in scoring position. He scored one batter later when Cambria reached first on an error by the River Hawk shortstop, bringing the score to 7-3.
 
The Colonels were unable to put more runs on the board in the eighth and ninth, dropping the second game of the day 7-3.
 
Hunter Lawall (West Wyoming, PA/Wyoming Area) was assessed the loss, falling to an even 4-4 on the season after allowing six runs through 3.1 innings of work on the mound. Vrabel accounted for both of the Colonels' RBIs while Loch and Markert recorded the other two hits for the Blue and Gold.
 
Tyler Rigot picked up the win, moving to 2-0. Meanwhile, Aidan Martin secured his first save of the season. Michael Biuso contributed three RBIs on a double while Michael Mancuso also doubled. Mancuso and Kris Morrow came around to score twice for Susquehanna in the win.
 
The Colonels wrap up their three-game Landmark Conference road trip in Selinsgrove on Sunday, April 28th when they take on Susquehanna at 12:00 p.m.