VERO BEACH, Fla. – The Bridgewater State University baseball team dropped a 6-3 decision to Wilkes University on Thursday morning in Vero Beach, Florida.

The Bears fall to 2-6 with the setback, while the Colonels improve to 5-4.

Bridgewater led 3-1 after four innings of play as the Bears scored a run in the second inning and two more in the fourth. Freshman catcher Carlos Rivera Jr. (New Bedford, Mass.) got the Bears on the board with an RBI double in the second. Rivera also added an RBI single in the fourth.

Wilkes rallied for three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 4-3 lead. The inning was capped off by a two-run single by sophomore catcher Keaton Allison (Aiken, S.C.).

The Colonels added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on a Nicholas Capozzi (Syracuse, N.Y.) RBI single and a double play ground out.

Senior right-hander Johnny Jan Jr. (Germantown, Md.) went the first eight inning record his first win of the season for Wilkes. Jan Jr. (1-1) allowed three runs on six hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Senior closer Chris Nixon (Swoyersville, Pa.) worked around a hit and a walk in the ninth to earn his first save of the 2017 campaign.

Senior right-hander Thomas Protentis (Lakeville, Mass.) took the loss for the Bears. Protentis (0-2), who came on in relief of injured starter Connor Birch (Bellingham, Mass.) with two outs in the first, gave up six runs (two earned) on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings. He walked four and fanned nine.

Birch left the game after being hit with a line drive. He faced four batters and recorded two strikeouts.

Junior left-hander David Manning (North Attleboro, Mass.) tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the Bears as he retired all five batters he faced with a pair of strikeouts.

The Bears wrap up their Vero Beach trip on Friday morning when they take on SUNY Maritime at 9:30.