APRIL 10, 2003
BOB ZIADIE
WILKES NOTCHES 16-4 FREEDOM
CONFERENCE BASEBALL WIN OVER KING’S
Kingston -- Wilkes University exploded
for eight runs in the third inning
and never looked back, posting a 16-4 Freedom Conference baseball win
over King’s College on Thursday
afternoon at Artillery Park.
The win improves
the Colonels to 9-12 overall and 3-4 in the conference. King’s
slips to 7-11 overall and 2-7 in the
conference.
Wilkes jumped on top 3-0 in the first
inning. Tyler Trutt was hit by a pitch
and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Matt Midkiff singled to
put runners on first and third, Dave
Morgan lofted a sacrifice fly to score Trutt
and give the Colonels a lead they would never relinquish. One out
later, Josh Turel drew a walk to put
runners on first and second. Chris Caccavale
stepped to the plate and laced a double down the left field line
to score both Midkiff and Turel.
After scoring a single run in the
second to assume a 4-0 advantage, Wilkes
sent 13 batters to the plate in scoring eight times to forge in front
12-0. Charles Hampton and Turel began
the rally by reaching on consecutive walks.
Caccavale then singled to load the bases with no outs. Adam Kowalczyk
singled to score Hampton, and Sheruda slapped a single to score
Turel and make it 6-0. Trutt would add a
single that plated Caccavale before
Steve Leskiw drew a walk to force home Kowalczyk and extend the
Colonels lead to 8-0.
Morgan grounded into a fielder’s
choice that scored Sheruda, but eliminated
Leskiw at second as the lead grew to 9-0. Hampton was hit by a
pitch to reload the bases with two outs.
Turel singled to score Trutt and Caccavale
followed with a two-run double to end the Wilkes barrage.
The Monarchs would get on the board in
the fourth, scoring twice to cut the
deficit to 12-2. Nick Sorino singled and Charlie Jenkins doubled to
give King’s runners on second and
third. After Jeff Wells walked to load the
bases, Seth Temple lifted a sacrifice fly to score Sorino with the first
run of the frame. Jenkins, who moved to
third on the fly out, scored on a sacrifice
fly by Jason Melendez.
Wilkes would respond with three runs of
their own in the fourth to put the
game away. Sheruda tripled with one out and Trutt was hit by a pitch to
put runners on first and third. After
Trutt stole second, Leskiw reached on an
error in the infield to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by Morgan would
plate Sheruda to make it 13-2. Hampton
was then hit by a pitch to load the bases
once again. Turel then doubled to score both Leskiw and Trutt.
Mike Spotts was the winning pitcher for
Wilkes. He worked six innings and
allowed only four hits and three runs. Paul Kapral suffered the loss
for King’s. He went two innings and
gave up seven runs on just three hits.
Caccavale had three hits, including a
pair of doubles, and drove in four
runs to lead the Wilkes offensive attack. Turel added three hits,
including a double, and drove in three.
Sheruda was also a multiple hitter with
a single and triple.
Sorino and Jenkins had a single and double apiece to
pace the Monarchs at the plate.
Wilkes and King’s will conclude their
three-game Freedom Conference series
on Saturday afternoon when they play a twinbill at Betzler Fields at
1:00 p.m.
