Wilkes Baseball Completes Weekend Sweep of Juniata on Senior Day
EDWARDSVILLE, PA - The Wilkes baseball team took first place in the Landmark Conference following a weekend sweep over Juniata, advancing to 18-8 overall and 11-3 in conference play.
Game 1 | Wilkes 16, Juniata 2 (7 Innings)
The Colonels opened game one of the Sunday double header with a dominant 16-2 win over the Eagles in seven innings of play.
Wilkes got on the board early, recording two runs in the first inning. Nathan Loch (Effort, PA/Pleasant Valley) and Luke Spencer (Lehman, PA/Lake Lehman) both scored off of walks to get the Colonels up 2-0 going into the second inning.
Juniata's Zach Johnston recorded a run for the Eagles off a ground out to third to make it a 2-1 game. Wilkes responded with three runs in the second, with Loch scoring off a double down the left field line by Jack Mathis (Exeter PA/Wyoming Area). Mathis then stole home and Spencer scored after a triple to center field by Jacob Cambria (Elysburg, PA/Southern Columbia) to make it 6-1.
Three more runs were scored by the Colonels in the third inning. Loch scored after a single down the left field line by Spencer, Mathis scored after an error by the third baseman, and Spencer scored after Gavin Lacoe (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) hit a sacrifice fly out to right field.
In the fourth inning, Wilkes added five more runs to their total. Matt Show scored off a triple to center field by Loch, Loch then scored off a single down the left field line by Mathis and Spencer scored after another sacrifice fly by Lacoe. Cambria and Zack Luksic (Shavertown, PA/Dallas) scored off a single to center field by Jimmy Brazofsky (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) to round out the fourth at 14-1.
In the fifth inning, Loch scored after a single to right center field by Spencer and Spencer scored on a third sacrifice fly out by Lacoe to bring the Colonels total to 16. Juniata added their second run of the game in the top of the sixth with Matthew Quigley scoring after a ground out to third base.
On the mound, Zachary Lloyd (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) picked up his fourth win of the season, pitching for six innings and recording five strikeouts and allowing only two runs and three hits throughout the game.
Game 2 | Wilkes 7, Juniata 6 (10 Innings)
The Colonels opened game two with a run in the bottom of the first to take another early lead, with Loch scoring on a fielding error by the catcher. Juniata equalized the score in the second with Caden Collin reaching home off a double to right field.
The Colonels added three more runs in the bottom of the second to regain the lead, with Matt Show and Brazofsky scoring off a single up the middle by Mathis. Loch scored the fourth run of the game after Luksic walked.
The Eagles added two more runs in the top of the third, with Connor Blough recording a run after a double down the left field line and David Beard scoring off a single to left field to make it a 3-4 game with the Colonels still in the lead.
The Eagles found the equalizer in the fourth inning, with Ricky Scott scoring off a double down the left field line. The Colonels took the lead in the bottom of the seventh with a double to left field by Chase Vrabel (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland) bringing Lacoe and Cambria home for a 6-4 lead.
Ricky Scott recorded his second run of the day for the Eagles after a double to left field by Jacob Despot to make it a one run game in the top of the ninth. Despot scored the equalizer for Juniata after a single to third base by Johnston.
The Colonels recorded the winning run in the 10th inning with Loch bringing in the run after a single to right center by Cambria.
Hunter Lawall (West Wyoming, PA/Wyoming Area) picked up the win for Wilkes on the mound, facing six batters in 1.2 innings and allowing just one hit.
The Colonels will be at home for their next game against Lycoming on Wednesday, April 9. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
