MIAMI The American International College baseball team was victorious against Wilmington University (Del.) by a score of 7-5 on the first day of its spring break trip on Friday, March 10.

With the win, the Yellow Jackets improve to 3-0 overall. The Wildcats slip to 5-5 overall.

AIC started the game slow, getting behind the Wildcats in the bottom of the first after an RBI single and sac fly would produce two runs to give them an early 2-0 lead. It wouldn't be until the fourth inning that the Yellow Jackets were able to produce a threat, as K.J White got the Yellow Jackets on the board with a missile to deep left field to make it a 2-1 game.

After White's home run, neither team would score again until the seventh inning, when the Yellow Jackets and Wildcats combined for seven runs. Chris Starcun started the inning off with a hard hit down the third base line for a leadoff single. Mike Wroth followed up with a double down the line left field line to put runners on second and third. Not to be outdone by his teammates, Matt Krause laced a pitch out to the right field fence for a two-run triple, giving the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game. Krause would eventually score with two outs after the Wildcat right fielder was charged with a fielding error on Joe Pepe's hit. Pepe would end up on third base due to the error.

Josh Aviles added to the tally with a hard hit to right field for a single that would score Pepe from third, making it 5-2 Yellow Jackets. Aviles stole second base before being brought home on a Travis Seymour single to left field, giving AIC a now 6-2 lead. White singled with two outs, but would eventually be picked off to end the inning.

In the home half of the inning, the Wildcats produced two runs on two hits and a throwing error committed by AIC. A throwing error by White put Wildcats on first and third base with one out. A double to center field scored one runner for Wilmington, while the other run came off a sac fly out to center field. A ground out to second base ended the inning with the Yellow Jackets up 6-4.

AIC and Wilmington were silent in the eighth frame but would both score again in the ninth. Eugene Quirk reach first base for the Yellow Jackets after being hit by a wild pitch. Andrew Ciacciarelli played small ball, reaching base on a bunt single and advancing Quirk a base. A fielder's choice bunt allowed Pepe to reach first and put Ciacciarelli on third while Quirk was thrown out. With an out in the top of the ninth, Ciacciarelli pulled out some last-minute magic tricks and stole home to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-4 lead. The Jackets ended the inning with Pepe being picked off by the Wilmington's pitcher.

The Wildcats tried to prevent the Yellow Jackets from their third straight win, starting the bottom of the ninth string with two straight singles to the right side. A double scored one of the two runners, as a 9-6-2 throw-out prevented the Wildcats from moving into striking distance, making it 7-5 for AIC. The Yellow Jackets would hold down the fort, getting the next Wildcat they faced to hit into a 6-4 double play to end the game.

The Yellow Jackets relied on Matt Costanza (1-0) to get them past the Wildcasts. Costanza went eight innings, giving up 13 hits, five runs and four earned enroute to his first win of the year. Jason Coscio (SV, 1) would come in to pitch the final frame, getting his first save of the year. Coscio would allow just one hit in his lone inning of work.

AIC continues its stretch of games in the Sunshine State as it faces Nyack College for a doubleheader in Miami on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.