Baseball - 2003 Season

BASEBALL: Wilkes University 15, Delaware Valley 2 (Game 1)
Delaware Valley 12, Wilkes University 8 (Game 2)

WILKES-BARRE (PA) - Mark Roth went 6-for-7 with two home runs and three RBIs and also picked up a win in relief as the Aggies split a Freedom Conference doubleheader with host Wilkes University. The Colonels won the first game 15-2 before the Aggies bounced back with a five-run seventh inning to score a 12-8 win in the nightcap.

The split moves the Colonels to 7-10 overall and 2-4 in the conference. The Aggies are now 11-5 overall and 3-3 in the conference.

Roth went 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI in the opener and followed with a 4-for-4 performance in the second game that included both home runs, four runs scored and two RBIs. The junior first baseman is now batting .585 with 11 doubles, four home runs, 18 runs scored and 28 RBIs in 16 contests.

The second game saw Delaware Valley rally for five runs in its final at-bat to gain a 12-8 win. The rally came immediately after Wilkes had scored three times in the sixth frame to take an 8-7 advantage.

Roth began the decisive seventh with a single and Kyle Knouse walked. After Ken Keiffer was retired on a line out, A.J. Denardo doubled to score Roth and tie the game at 8-8. Bret Thiel then put the Aggies on top with a two-run single that scored both Knouse and Denardo. Brandon McCabe walked, and both he and Thiel advanced a base on a wild pitch. That set the stage for a two-run single by Sean Meister that capped the scoring.

Wilkes trailed 7-4 entering the fifth inning before they scored once in the fifth and three times in the sixth to take the lead. Dave Morgan tripled and scored on a Charles Hampton single in the fifth. In the sixth, Matt Midkiff and Chris Caccavale sandwiched a pair of walks around a Adam Kowalczyk single to load the bases with no outs. Steve Leskiw scored Midkiff and Kowalczyk with a pinch-hit single to tie the game at 7-7. After Morgan walked to load the bases once again, Hampton singled to score Caccavale and give Wilkes the lead.

Delaware Valley jumped out to a 2-0 lead in their half of the first thanks to a two-run homer by Knouse. The Colonels responded with a pair of runs in the first two innings for a 4-2 advantage.

The Aggies scored four runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to move out in front, 7-4. Roth began the fourth with a solo homer to cut the Wilkes lead to 4-3. Knouse then doubled, moved to third on a ground out, and scored on a sacrifice fly by DeNardo to tie the game at 4-4. Thiel singled and McCabe walked to put runners on first and second. A single by Derek Scholl scored Thiel and gave Delaware Valley a 5-4 lead. A single by Meister would chase home McCabe with the final run of the inning. The Aggies run in the fifth was courtesy of another solo homer off the bat of Roth.

Roth picked up the win in relief as he tossed four innings and allowed six hits and four runs. Knouse, Meister, Thiel and Scholl had two hits apiece.

In the opener Wilkes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning before the Aggies cut that in half in the third. Meister singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a triple by Roth.

The Colonels answered immediately, scoring three times in their half of third to forge in front 5-1. They would add two more runs in the fourth to take a 7-1 advantage. Delaware Valley closed to within 7-2 on a run-scoring single by Kyle Knouse, but the Colonels exploded for five runs in the fifth to put the game away. Trutt had the big blow for Wilkes with a three-run homer.

Ryan Lobb was the winning pitcher, working five innings and allowing only five hits and two runs. He also struck out seven and walked two. Hampton had three hits and drove in three runs for Wilkes. Morgan, who hit a three-run homer in the sixth, had two hits and four RBIs.

Roth and Meister had two hits apiece for the Aggies. Mick Bigwood fell to 3-2 as the sophomore allowed four earned run and seven hits in three-plus innings of work.