EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – The Drew University baseball team lost its Landmark Conference series opener at Wilkes University, with the Colonels claiming a 6-1 decision on Friday.
 
The Colonels (10-7, 7-1 LC) scored two in the first inning to provide AJ Levandoski all the run support he would need. He threw 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits and three walks while striking out four.
 
Junior Tyler Bell started and tossed six innings for the Rangers (12-6, 5-3 LC), yielding three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out six.
 
Drew made it a one-run game in the third, when junior Tyler Giordano led off with a single and eventually scored on an infield single from sophomore Zach Maxwell.
 
Bell (1-4) settled in after the first and blanked Wilkes from the second through the sixth innings. He pitched into the seventh, but exited the game after yielding a leadoff double, and the runner eventually scored on a wild pitch.
 
The Colonels tacked on three insurance runs in the eighth.
 
Levandoski (3-1) worked out of a jam in the fifth, when the Rangers, trailing 3-1 at the time, had runners on first and second with no outs. Giordano led off with a walk before junior Aiden Mitchell singled, but Levandoski escaped with three groundouts.
 
The Rangers also threatened in the eighth, when, now trailing 6-1, Maxwell singled and freshman Nick Donofrio walked against reliever Shaun O'Donnell. But O'Donnell struck out a batter to end the inning.
 
Drew put two runners on in the ninth as well, when sophomore Dylan Gallagher walked and Mitchell reached on an error, but sophomore Frank Master lined out to short to end the game.

Maxwell and Mitchell each finished 2-for-4 for the Rangers.
 
Drew and Wilkes conclude their series on Sunday, when they play a doubleheader starting at noon.