WILSON, N.C. — The Kutztown University baseball team split a pair of games against Barton College Saturday at Nixon Field in Wilson, N.C.
Barton rallied in the first game, scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh to win 6-5, and KU bounced back with a 7-4 win in the second game.
KU (1-1) and Barton (3-2) will meet again Sunday for another doubleheader at Nixon Field. The first pitch is slated for noon.
Barton 6, Kutztown 5
Darin Gorski (jr. Mount Joy/Donegal) pitch six solid innings and Matt Kulbacki (jr. Hershey/Hershey) hit a three-run home run, but it wasn't enough as KU fell 6-5 to Barton in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.
Barton scored a single run in the sixth and five in the seventh to erase a five-run deficit.
Kulbacki's three-run homer in the fourth, coupled with a two-run double by Jared Frey (jr. Mohrsville/Schuylkill Valley) in the fifth gave KU a 5-0 lead.
Gorski held Barton at bay for five innings before allowing a run in the sixth. He finished with four strikeouts and one run on five hits over six innings.
Relievers Jason Herr (so. Harrisburg/C.D. East) and Trent Mertz (so. Kutztown/Kutztown) struggled in the seventh, giving up a combined five runs on three hits and three walks.
Corey Buletza (so. St. Clair/Pottsville) finished 3-for-4 with a runs scored, and Mike Kacelowicz (jr. Orwigsburg/Blue Mountain) and Chad Lightcap (sr. Boyertown/Boyertown) each had a hit and a run scored. Lightcap also stole a base.
Jeff Kistle (so. Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny) singled and Michael Dugan (so. Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) walked and scored a run.
Kutztown 7, Barton 4
Frey went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs as KU won 7-4 over Barton in the second game of their doubleheader Saturday.
Kacelowicz and Shayne Houck (fr. Barto/Boyertown) also hit home runs for the Golden Bears. It was Houck's first in a collegiate game.
Mike Bucklin (jr. Shillington/Governor Mifflin) started on the mound for KU, giving up four runs — three earned — and seven hits over 3 1/3 innings of work. Jordan Smith (so. New Milford/Blue Ridge) and Adam Maini (jr. Macungie/Emmaus) pitched shutout ball in relief, giving up just three hits over 3 2/3 innings. Maini struck out three in two innings.
Frey hit a two-run homer in the first and a two-run double in the third to give KU a 4-1 lead.
Barton cut it to 4-3 in the bottom half, and KU led 5-4 after both teams exchanged single tallies in the fourth inning. Dugan, who singled in the inning, scored on an error.
Houck led off the fifth with a solo homer down the left-field line and Kacelowicz led off the seventh with a solo shot to right field.
Kacelowicz finished 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored. Dugan was 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Lightcap walked and scored a run.
