The Muhlenberg baseball team reached double digits in hits and runs while receiving stellar pitching from two freshmen in winning its home opener 10-4 over Wilkes.
 
The Mules (7-8) jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the third inning and piled on insurance runs late to earn the win. The Mules have now won four of their last five games.
 
Muhlenberg also benefited from great pitching outings by freshmen Paul Poppert and Truman Devitt. Poppert went five innings and struck out seven while allowing only two earned runs to earn his first collegiate victory. Devitt then tossed three scoreless innings of relief, giving up zero hits and fanning three batters as well.
 
Freshman Robert Cappadona gave the Mules their first run on an RBI single in the third. Junior Chris Grillo then tripled home Cappadona, and junior Matt Riebesell brought Grillo home on an infield single. Junior Stephen Koester capped the rally with a sacrifice fly to plate Riebesell, making it 4-0.
 
The Colonels (5-7) got three runs back before Riebesell recorded his second RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Sophomore Billy Brittingham then lined a double into the left-center gap that drove in two more runs, increasing the lead to 7-3.
 
The Mules would add three more insurance runs in the seventh inning to put the game away.
 
Brittingham, Cappadona Koester and sophomore Sam Arnold each led the Mules with two hits. Grillo scored two runs and stole two bases, and Koester also stole his first base of the season.
 
During the past five-game stretch, Muhlenberg has reached double digits in hits in three of the four wins. Mule pitchers have recorded at least seven strikeouts in nine of the past 10 games.