LA PLUME, Pa. - The Wilkes University baseball team lost their second game in as many days, falling to the Keystone College Giants 6-4 Thursday afternoon after a late eighth inning rally by the Giants.
The Colonels drop to 15-10 on the season, while the Giants improve to 15-7 with their ninth-straight win.
Wilkes got two men on base to start the game thanks to back-to-back singles by Nathan Loch (Effort, PA/Pleasant Valley) and Jack Smale (Kunkletown, PA/Pleasant Valley). However, they failed to score after Keystone starter Luke Baker retired the next three batters he faced.
The Colonels were held scoreless over the first five innings of play, but were still in the ball game thanks to another stellar start from Zachary Lloyd (Scranton, PA/West Scranton). The junior right-hander allowed just three hits in his first six innings of work to keep the game tied.
He finally got some run support in the top of the sixth inning, when Andres Cruz (Wayne, PA/Radnor) led off the frame with a solo home run over the right field wall. After Lloyd retired the Giants 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, the Colonels extended their lead in the seventh.
Evan Melberger (West Pittston, PA/Wyoming Area) doubled to right-center field with one out, and came around to score two batters later after a Smale RBI single to make it 2-0 Wilkes. That ended Baker's time on the mound, going six and one-third innings with two earned runs, six hits, and five strikeouts on his line.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Giants offense finally woke up. Dillon Bird singled off Lloyd to start the inning, then Ethan Schimony got hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count to get two men on base. A ground out immediately after made it two outs with runners on the corners, and Dee Rice delivered with an RBI single to left field to make it 2-1. Lloyd got pulled after that hit, and Mike Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) came into the game and surrendered consecutive walks to bring in the tying run.
Lloyd's final stat line was six and two-thirds innings pitched, allowing two earned runs off five hits and three strikeouts. Despite that, Wilkes immediately got the lead back thanks to three-straight singles in the eighth from Jake Miller (Chambersburg, PA/James Buchanan), Michael Sabella (Cornelius, NC/Hough), and Matthew Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) to put them back up 3-2.
However, Keystone exploded for four runs in the bottom of the frame to snatch the win. Benny Hess reached base safely on an error to start the inning, advanced to second after a sacrifice bunt, and then came around to tie the game after a Colson Bennett RBI single. Three batters later, Rice brought home another two runs with an RBI single to make it 5-3 Giants, and then Jaxson Monroney singled to bring home Rice for their sixth and final run.
The Colonels showed some fight in the ninth with a Jack Mathis (Exeter PA/Wyoming Area) triple and a Devin Markert (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area) RBI single with two outs to make it a two-run game, but Miller flew out for the final out to end the game.
Cooper Ryan got the win for the Giants with an inning and two-thirds pitched, allowing one run off two hits with four strikeouts. On the other side, Show took the loss with an inning and a third pitched by allowing four runs (only one earned) off two hits and a strikeout. Rice led Keystone at the plate by going 2-3 with two singles, three RBIs, and a walk. For the Colonels, four players had two hit games, with Smale having the best line going 2-4 with two singles, an RBI, and a walk.
The Colonels return to action on Saturday, April 11, against Elmira and Hobart. The Elmira game is scheduled for 11 a.m., while the Hobart game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
