WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes University baseball team suffered their first loss of the Landmark Conference Tournament in a thrilling 7-6 game against the Drew University Rangers Tuesday afternoon at Bruggeworth Field.
The Colonels move to the loser's bracket and will take on Elizabethtown for their next game, while the Rangers advance to square off against Susquehanna in the winner's bracket.
Drew got on the board immediately in the top of the first inning. Frank Master started the game with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Nick Bisaccia then reached base on another throwing error the very next at bat to score Master and make it 1-0.
Wilkes escaped that inning with no more damage done, and they responded with a big inning of their own. Nathan Loch (Effort, PA/Pleasant Valley) and Jack Mathis (Exeter PA/Wyoming Area) singled and doubled to get runners on second and third with nobody out, and then Tyler Uram (Carbondale Twp, PA/Lakeland) hit an RBI single to score Loch and tie the game.
Uram stole second immediately, which allowed Mathis to come home and give Wilkes the lead, and Mike Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) hit an RBI single two batters later to make it 3-1. The Rangers quickly got the lead back in the top of the second thanks to a five-run rally on Colonels starter AJ Levandoski (Scranton, PA/West Scranton).
The Rangers had seven different players record a hit in the inning, and they brought nine men to the plate. Griffin Shenman walked a run in, while Master, Bisaccia, and Zach Maxwell had RBI base hits to give Drew a 6-3 lead. That drove Levandoski off the mound, and Zachary Lloyd (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) came into the game in relief.Lloyd held Drew's bat quiet from the third to the sixth inning, but the Colonels wouldn't make some noise until the bottom of the fifth. Mathis singled to lead off the frame, then Andres Cruz (Wayne, PA/Radnor) singled to get two men on and nobody out. Uram hit an RBI single to make it a 6-4 game, and Jeremiah Atwell (Eastlake, OH/Willoughby South) hit into a fielder's choice to allow Mathis to score. With the Rangers leading 6-5, Gavin Lacoe (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) hit an RBI single to bring home Atwell and tie the game.
The game remained tied going into the top of the seventh, when Drew got the lead back thanks to some clutch hitting. Nick Donofrio doubled to start the inning, then Anthony Tetto was intentionally walked two batters later to get runners on first and second with one out. With two outs, Griffin Shenman singled to score Donofrio and make it 7-6 Rangers. Lloyd was taken out of the game after that play, and Ethan Grodack (Lake Ariel, PA/Western Wayne) replaced him on the mound.
Grodack, and Shaun O'Donnell (New Tripoli, PA/Northwestern Lehigh) later on, kept the Rangers from extending their lead, keeping the Colonels in position to snatch the win.. They got a hit in each of the final three innings, but their best chance to rally came in the bottom of the ninth.
Uram led off the inning with a single, giving Richie Rossi (Hazleton, PA/Hazleton Area) the opportunity to pinch run. Mark Nazar (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) advanced him to second, then Gannon Decker (Hawley, PA/Wallenpaupack Area) singled to get runners on the corners with one out. Jake Miller (Chambersburg, PA/James Buchanan) was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Jack Smale (Kunkletown, PA/Pleasant Valley) came to the plate looking to be the hero. Unfortunately, lined out into a double play thanks to a great catch by Shenman.
Jayce Thoroughman got the win on the mound for Drew, while Lloyd took the loss despite a strong relief outing. Thoroughman went 4.1 innings and allowed zero runs on six hits with four strikeouts, while Lloyd went five innings with just one run allowed on five hits.
At the plate, Bisaccia led the way for the Rangers by going 4-5 with two singles, a double, a triple, and a walk. He also led the team with three RBIs. Master, Donofrio, and Shenman each stepped up as well with two hits each.Â
Meanwhile for Wilkes, Uram and Mathis both went 3-5 at the plate. Mathis had two doubles, a single, and two RBIs, while Uram had three singles. Loch and Miller also had multi-hit games of their own.
Wilkes' elimination game against the Blue Jays is scheduled for Friday, May 8, at 2:30 p.m.Â
The game will take place at Penn Medicine Park in Lancaster, home of the Lancaster Stormers.
