The Wilkes University baseball team returned to their winning ways by defeating the Drew University Rangers 6-1 Friday afternoon.

The Colonels improve to 10-7 (7-1 Landmark) this season, while the Rangers drop to 12-6 (5-3 Landmark) on the season.

Much like their last game against Scranton, the Colonels jumped on the opposition in the first inning. Nathan Loch (Effort, PA/Pleasant Valley) walked on a full count, stole second base, and then came in to score after an RBI single by Jack Smale (Kunkletown, PA/Pleasant Valley). 

In the next at bat, Jack Mathis (Exeter PA/Wyoming Area) hit a bunt single that advanced Smale all the way to third, and Michael Sabella (Cornelius, NC/Hough) brought him home two batters later with an RBI groundout.

That gave starting pitcher AJ Levandoski (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) a 2-0 cushion to work with, and the sophomore responded with another great outing. The Rangers scored one run off of him in the top of the third thanks to an RBI single by Zach Maxwell, but that was all they could do. 

Levandoski pitched seven and two-thirds innings, allowing just the one run off six hits and striking out four batters.

Despite that, it was still a 2-1 game going into the bottom of the seventh. Wilkes got an insurance run on a wild pitch to make it 3-1, and they tacked on another three runs in the eighth to put the game away.

In that eighth inning, the Colonels took advantage of some early walks, another wild pitch to bring in the fourth run, and a throwing error by Drew second baseman Matteo Gruendig to score runs five and six.

Levandoski secured the win to improve to 3–1 this season, while Tyler Bell (1-4) took the loss for the Rangers. After Levandoski exited the game, Ethan Grodack (Lake Ariel, PA/Western Wayne) came in from the bullpen to record the final four outs.

At the plate, Smale was the only Colonel to record multiple hits. The junior outfielder went 2-5 with two singles, an RBI, and one run scored.

Wilkes returns to the diamond on Sunday, March 29 for the finals two games of this three-game series. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 12 p.m.