WILKES-BARRE, PA - Susquehanna baseball emerged from a Saturday doubleheader at Wilkes with two wins, winning 9-5 and 7-5 at the home of the first-placed team in the Landmark Conference.

Game 1: Susquehanna 9, Wilkes 5

Susquehanna was first to score in the top of the second on an RBI single by Lucas Zachesky. Jaden Buechler scored, but Zachesky was thrown out at second, bringing an end to the inning. The third inning also resulted in scoring for the River Hawks, as a two-run single by Dylan Heyduk capped off a sequence in which Christian Biuso and Tony Rossi walked, and Michael Gagliardi singled. A single by Jack Cahill threatened to bring home another run, but Gagliardi was thrown out trying to score.

A two-run double by the Colonels' Devin Markert made it 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth, and put the tying run on second, but Evan Applegate, starting the series opener as he has done in every Landmark weekend set in 2025, set down the following batter. A Tyler Hmielewski walk followed by a double in the right center gap by Rossi made it 4-2 the following half-inning.

Applegate tied a career-high with 6.1 innings pitched, allowing just three hits. Three earned runs crossed on his line, with one being an inherited run that first-year right-hander Zach Plank allowed to score. Plank did not allow a run of his own in 1.2 innings of work.

With two outs in the top of the eighth, the River Hawks roared to life, rallying for five runs on six consecutive hits, the first five of which were singles. CJ Orrego got the show on the road, then Zachesky and Christian Biuso's knocks brought him in. Hmielewski singled to load the bases, and two RBIs went the way of Rossi and Gagliardi with a single and a double respectively.

With a 9-3 lead cut to 9-5 in the bottom half of the ninth, Robert Kramer faced a potential tying run with the bases loaded, but he punched Markert out to seal the win, snapping the Colonels' 13-game winning streak.

Applegate got the win in the effort, while all nine Susquehanna starters in the batting order contributed with a hit. Orrego led the way with three, and Rossi, Gagliardi, and Zachesky all added two as the River Hawks outhit the hosts 14-6.

Game 2: Susquehanna 7, Wilkes 5

Wilkes were first across the plate in the nightcap, scoring on a sac fly by Zack Luksic in the bottom of the first. The River Hawks' response was instant, however, with Biuso recording a sac fly to equalize as Buechler scored.

Similarly, Wilkes added two in the fourth to go up 3-1, but the River Hawks answered back with three in the following half-inning on the back of a four-hit rally featuring doubles for Hmielewski and Heyduk.

Heyduk started the top of the seventh by being hit by a pitch, which took him to 51 free passes for the year on 31 walks and 20 times hit by pitch. He moved over to second on an Orrego groundout and scored when Buechler doubled down the left field line. Buechler would score on a wild pitch on the final pitch of a walk by Griffin Shenman.

Heyduk contributed again in the following frame, hitting a sacrifice fly to left field to score Hmielewski, who reached on a bunt single.

After Wilkes closed the gap in the bottom of the eighth, Max Lipton faced the high-leverage task of retiring three Colonels with the top of the order coming up. After a leadoff single brought the tying run to the plate, he recorded a strikeout and then induced a double play ball that Biuso and Zachesky executed to perfection, with Rossi stretching at first to record the final out.

Jack Greco started on the mound, and went 6.2 innings while striking out five, earning his sixth win on the campaign. Lipton closed out the final 2.1 innings, earning the first save of his collegiate career.

The River Hawks move to 17-18 on the year, 10-10 in Landmark play, which puts them in a close race for a spot in the Landmark Conference tournament. They finish the series against the Colonels on Sunday.