KINGSTON, PA. (April 20, 2018) - The FDU baseball team was clipped by Wilkes 8-6 Friday afternoon.

Junior Ian Havran led off the game with an infield hit and moved into scoring position on a walk to senior Reynaldo Diaz. After both runners moved up on a passed ball, senior Christopher Franco laced a single to plate Havran.  A walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases, and senior Joseph Bonaccorso singled to short to knock in another run.

Junior Brad Norris worked a scoreless first, but ran into trouble in the second. The first four hitters of the inning singled to make the score 3-2, and a sacrifice fly two batters later evened the game at three.

With two down in the fourth, Diaz hit a homerun on a 1-0 offering, his sixth long-ball of the season. Wilkes evened the game in the home half inning, as a leadoff triple coupled with an infield single knocked a run home.

The host Colonels exploded for four runs with one out in the fifth, the big hit coming on a two-run single up the middle which closed out the Wilkes scoring on the afternoon. Senior Walter Pennett entered for Norris in the sixth, hurling three shutout innings while allowing just one hit and two walks.

Pennett's pitching allowed the Devils to claw away at the deficit. Franco and classmate Jack Paladino reached base opening the seventh, and Bonaccorso came through again, this time doubling down the left field line to score Franco. Pennett walked the leadoff hitter in the eighth, but a timely 6-3 double play erased the runner.

FDU came up in the ninth trailing by three. Paladino singled while senior David Wilbur worked a five pitch walk. After a foul out advanced Paladino to third, both runners executed a double-steal, scoring Paladino from third.

Freshman Joe Moskowitz earned a free pass after an eight pitch ordeal, while Havran walked to load the bases. With the tying run at second base, Colonel reliever Andrew Indzonka got a fielder's choice to enter the game.

Havran, Franco and Bonaccorso each notched two hits for the Devils, while Franco and Diaz scored twice.

FDU and Wilkes will conclude the series tomorrow in Madison, with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.