WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Justin Massielo's eighth inning two-out, two-run double lifted the Arcadia University baseball team to a series-clinching 6-5 win over Wilkes Sunday in game three of the MAC Freedom Quarterfinals to send the Knights to the semifinal round of the conference tournament. The Colonels got the tying run to third with two outs in the ninth, but
Zach Steiger closed the door with a game-ending strikeout to pick up his third win of the season.
Trevor Mattson belted his seventh home run of the season in the first inning - a towering, two-run shot to left-center - while
Joseph Kumar had a three-hit day and scored a pair of runs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Knights jumped out to an early two-run lead in the bottom of the first when Kumar lined a one-out single to left ahead of Mattson's two-run homer. The Colonels answered in the top of the third with four runs on three hits and an error to take their first lead of the day, as a two-out, two-run double down the line in right broke the 2-2 tie.
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Owen Margolis kept the deficit at two through the middle innings after entering the game with two outs in the fourth to strand a runner in scoring position with his first of four strikeouts in his outing and retired seven of the first eight batters he faced. The Knights loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but only pushed across one run in the frame on a
Connor Cheeseman sacrifice fly to cut the Wilkes lead to one.
-Arcadia ralled to the tie the game at four in the seventh as Massielo drew a leadoff walk and
Gregory Hamrick II was hit by a pitch before both were moved into scoring position on
Trey Obarowski's sac bunt.
Emilio Pallante followed with a bunt to the first base side that was popped up but landed just beyond the outstretched glove of the Colonels' diving pitcher, allowing Massielo to score the tying run.
-Wilkes regained the lead in the top of the eighth after a one-out triple came in to score on a pinch-hit, two-out single off the bat of Kerdesky. Steiger was called in from the bullpen to get the final out with a big strikeout to strand a runner in scoring position.
-The Knights answered right back in the home half as Kumar led off the frame with a base hit back through the middle ahead of a one-out walk to Cheeseman. After a groundout moved both runners into scoring position with two outs, Massielo came up with the big hit, lining a go-ahead, two-run double to the gap in right-center to give the Knights a 6-5 lead. Wilkes threatened to tie the game in the top of the ninth by getting the tying run to third with two outs, but Steiger closed out the series with a strikeout to send the Knights to the semifinal round.
KNIGHTS OFFENSIVE LEADERS
-Kumar: 3-4, 2 R
-Mattson: 1-3, 2-Run HR
-Massielo: 1-3, 2-Run 2B
KNIGHTS PITCHING LEADERS
-Margolis: 4 IP, 4 H, R, 4 K
-Steiger: W (3-0), 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 2 K
UP NEXT
Arcadia travels to top-seeded Misericordia Saturday to begin the best-of-three MAC Freedom Semifinals. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for noon.
