Kyle Fackler at Lebanon Valley 3/16/16
17
Winner Wilkes WIL 4-3
15
Elizabethtown ETOWN 6-2
Winner
Wilkes WIL
4-3
17
Final
15
Elizabethtown ETOWN
6-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Wilkes WIL 0 3 0 0 0 4 4 0 3 3 17 23 2
Elizabethtown ETOWN 0 0 2 0 0 4 3 1 4 1 15 18 2

W: Matt Kaster (1-0) L: Cherry, Justin (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Wilkes holds off Blue Jays in 10

FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- Elizabethtown and Wilkes combined for 32 runs and 41 hits Tuesday in a wild non-conference affair at the Lawnwood Complex in Fort Pierce, Florida. A four-run rally by the Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth would send the game to extras, but the Colonels added three runs in the 10th to pull out a 17-15 victory.

Every time Wilkes tried to put the game out of reach, the Blue Jays scrapped to stay alive. The Colonels (4-3) led all the way from the top of the second, when they put three runs on the board, until the bottom of the ninth when Nick Lorenz scored Colby Smith on a two-out single to tie it at 14.

Elizabethtown's comeback was short-lived, as Wilkes had its bats ready to go again in the 10th.

Jack Fischer singled to right, bringing in Brady Wing with the go-ahead run. Two batters later, Joe Champi provided much-needed insurance with a two-run double that gave the Colonels a 17-14 lead.

Smith, coming off a five-hit game Monday, pounded out four more Tuesday to go along with his second straight four-RBI game. He gave the Blue Jays (6-2) one more chance in the bottom of the 10th by knocking in Anthony Knight with a single, but with the potential game-winning run at the plate in the form of Brian Portillo, Matt Kaster induced a fielder's choice to end the marathon game that went in excess of four hours.

Kaster got the win, but it was otherwise nightmarish for pitchers on both sides.

The Jays battered Colonels starter Matthew Reese for seven hits and five runs in five innings. They knocked Chris Nixon around for seven hits and four runs in 2.1 innings and Kaster for four hits and five runs (three earned) in a pair of frames.

Wilkes forced E-town starter Andrew Brndjar to depart with one out in the sixth after giving up seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and found success against sophomore Justin Cherry in the ninth and 10th. The Colonels' 23 hits were the most allowed by E-town since April 15, 2015.

Offensively, the Blue Jays did their part, setting a new season-high in runs scored.

Smith has been blazing over the last two days going 11 for 16 and raising his batting average from .143 to .433. He went 4 for 7 Tuesday and drove in four for the second straight game. All 12 of Smith's RBIs have come in the last four games after he racked up a team-high 42 in 2016.

Kyle Fackler was a triple shy of the cycle, going 3 for 5 with three RBIs. The Harrisburg native put the Blue Jays on the board in the bottom of the third with his, and their, first home run of the season. He also scored his 129th career run on the round-tripper, moving into sole possession of third among the program's all-time leaders, surpassing Jon Hendl.

Elizabethtown's modest four-game winning streak came to an end, but sophomore Mike Christy provided three hits and three runs, and Lorenz went 3 for 6 with a pair of RBIs. Knight scored three runs and rookie Rashid Saint-Fleur came off the bench to go 1 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Fischer had a prolific afternoon for Wilkes, finishing 5 for 6 with five RBIs. Champi knocked in four and Brady Wing had four hits. Shortstop Tanner Smith, hitting out of the nine hole, was 3 for 5 with four runs scored. In all, seven of the nine batting Colonels had multi-hit games and all nine had at least one hit.

E-town gets a day off Wednesday, which will surely benefit the pitching staff ahead of Thursday's doubleheader against Eastern Nazarene. First pitch against the Lions is set for noon.
 
Print Friendly Version