GAME PREVIEW: Golden Bears in search of seventh PSAC title

JOHNSTOWN, PA (May 1 , 2010) - The Kutztown University baseball team will be playing for its fourth Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title in six years when they meet California University in the finals on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. on Point Stadium. To follow live stats, click here.

Both the Golden Bears (37-11) and Vulcans (31-16) were 3-0 in their respective brackets as the No. 2 seeds. KU defeated Mercyhurst 12-5 in the opener, and defeated Indiana (PA) by scores of 8-3 and 6-2 to reach the final day. California opened the tournament with a 6-5 nail biter over Mansfield, followed by an 8-3 win against West Chester and 11-10 over Slippery Rock.

The Vulcans have been led in the conference tournament by Sam Dimatteo and Kyle Petty. Dimatteo is 7-for-13 with three runs scored and two runs batted in. He has a .399 batting average on the season, while Petty is hitting .356 a clip. In the tournament, Petty is 5-for-13 with four runs scored and three RBIs, including the game winner in the bottom of the ninth against Mansfield.

The Golden Bears rode the hot bat of James Quigley through the first two games, where he was 7-for-10 with a double, triple, home run and five RBIs. Corey Buletza has hit safely in each of the three games, with two doubles and a home run. He put the Golden Bears ahead for good in their opening round win over Mercyhurst.

Heading into the final game, the Golden Bears have an arsenal of ready arms to use if needed. Adam Maini and Ryan Cassidy have not thrown a pitch yet, while Mike Bucklin was used in limited action on Wednesday.

The Vulcans' ace Ryan Surgill threw 156 pitches in Thursday's win over West Chester, while Pat Gannon and Ryan Lavusky each went four innings in Friday night's victory against Slippery Rock.

With the do-or-die mentality that comes along with the championship game, any pitcher that has anything left in the tank should be ready for their number to be called.

--KU--

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