EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University baseball team posted two four-run innings including one in the eighth that blew the game open on way to an 11-4 Landmark Conference victory over Lycoming College Tuesday afternoon at Bruggeworth Field.
With the win Wilkes improved to 18-11 overall and remain in first place at 12-3 in league games. The win also clinched another season series for the Colonels with a sweep of the Warriors following 2-0 and 9-6 wins earlier this season. Lycoming dropped to 15-18 overall and 8-12 in conference contests.
The Colonels took an early lead on an
Andres Cruz (Wayne, PA/Radnor) RBI singles in the bottom of the first, but Lycoming responded with a game-tying RBI hit in the top of the second. Two innings later, the Warriors took its first lead of the game with an RBI single put Lycoming in front 2-1 after the top of the fourth.
The Wilkes bats responded loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth which led to a four-run rally that was capped by
Jack Mathis' (Exeter PA/Wyoming Area) two-run single lifting the Colonels to a 5-2 advantage after four.
After Lycoming scored one run in the top of the seventh, the Colonels answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a
Devin Markert (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area) RBI double to right field and
Jeremiah Atwell (Eastlake, OH/Willoughby South) RBI single to center field.
Wilkes put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth as
Jake Miller (Chambersburg, PA/James Buchanan) connected on a three-run triple to right field. Miller later scored on a wild pitch in the second four-run inning of the game for the Colonels offense.
Mathis topped the Wilkes hitters going 3-for-5 with two RBI's. Seven Wilkes hitters reached base with hits in the game.
Kaden Shay led Lycoming going 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Zachary Lloyd (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) earned the win on the mound for Wilkes pitching a scoreless, hitless 1.2 innings in relief. Lloyd moved to 4-0 on the season with the decision.
Wilkes continues Landmark play on Saturday with the start of a season series at Juniata College playing two games starting at 12:00 p.m.
