Comeback Baseball Win For Wells Over Penn State Berks

The Wells College baseball team opened the North Eastern Athletic Conference season with a 13-10 come-from-behind victory in 10 innings over defending league champions Penn State Berks on Friday, March 29. The Express handed Penn State Berks just its second loss in its last 20 NEAC regular-season games.

The top four hitters in the Wells lineup combined to go 12-for-20 at the plate with 11 runs scored and seven RBIs.

Wells trailed 8-2 after five innings but rallied with multiple runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth.

In the sixth inning, Dylan Nolan tripled and scored on an single from Tyler Young. Then, with two outs, Mark Yorkey and Derek Shea walked, advanced into scoring position on a balk, and both scored on a single from Kevin Spaeth.

The seventh-inning rally included a leadoff double from Jordan VanHerpe who scored on a groundout. After back-to-back singles from Nolan and Young and walk to Dunkel, an infield error allowed Nolan and Young to race home and tie the game 8-8.

Wells went ahead in the top of the eighth as VanHerpe and Nolan reached base. With two outs, VanHerpe scored on a passed ball and Nolan scored on a single from Tyler Young.

Berks answered with two in the bottom of the eighth and neither team scored in the ninth.

In the top of the 10th, singles from VanHerpe and Aumick started the rally and Nolan was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game. Young hit a bases-clearing double to the gap in left-center and Wells led 13-10.

Derek Shea pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th and earned the win in relief. He pitched two scoreless innings with one strikeout and one walk, and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth.

Zach Kemp started and pitched into the fourth inning. He was charged with seven runs (six earned) on six hits with six strikeouts. Alexander Mott pitched effectively in middle relief. Over four and two-thirds he allowed two earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Tyler Young's huge day at the plate included a 5-for-6 afternoon including a double, six RBIs and a run scored. Nolan had three hits, reached base five times, and scored five runs. VanHerpe had a single, double, walked twice, and scored three times. Aumick had a single, triple, drove in a run, and scored twice.

Wells picked up two runs in the top of the fourth on an Anthony Aumick triple, RBI single by Tyler Young, and RBI groundout by Mark Yorkey that scored Dylan Nolan. The Express trailed 3-2 at that point before Penn State Berks scored five in the bottom of the fourth.

The teams will continue the three-game NEAC series with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.