Wilkes Baseball Closes Non-Conference Play with 7-1 win over King's
EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – In a rare road game at Bruggeworth Field due to field conditions, the Wilkes University baseball team closed their non-conference slate with a 7-1 win over cross-town rival King's College Thursday afternoon.
Wilkes improves to 23-15 on the year, while King's falls to 6-25-1.
The Colonels struck first in the top of the first, as
Jeremiah Atwell's (Eastlake, OH/Willoughby South) sacrifice fly brought home
Evan Melberger (West Pittston, PA/Wyoming Area), who opened the game reaching base on a throwing error. The Monarchs equalized in the bottom of the second with an RBI double to left center to make it a 1-1 game.
Both offenses remained silent through the third, fourth, and fifth innings before Wilkes regained the lead in the top of the sixth. With
Jack Mathis (Exeter PA/Wyoming Area) on second, Atwell drove in his second run of the day with a single up the middle to give Wilkes the 2-1 lead.
The Colonels blew the game open in the seventh, as Melberger reached on a fielder's choice that drove in two runs with a series of Monarch defensive errors. After stealing third, Melberger scored as
Nathan Loch (Effort, PA/Pleasant Valley) grounded out to extend the navy and gold advantage to 5-1.
In the ninth, a double steal and Mathis single put the final nails in the Monarch coffin, and a shutout inning on the mound by
Jake Miller (Chambersburg, PA/James Buchanan) sealed the deal to give Wilkes the 7-1 win.
Hunter Lawall (West Wyoming, PA/Wyoming Area) (1-0) earned his first win of the season with one inning of work, striking out one and walking one. At the plate, Mathis led the way with three hits in five at-bats, stealing two bases. Melberger and Atwell drove in two runs each to lead all players.
Connor Reynolds (1-9) was given the loss for the Monarchs, allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits with five strikeouts through 6.1 innings. Noah Gesford led the team with two hits and the team's lone RBI.
Wilkes returns to action on Saturday, May 2
nd as they close the regular season against Susquehanna University, finishing their three-game series from mid-March. First pitch from Harold Bollinger Field is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
