MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (April 3, 2011) – The Kutztown University baseball team scored 10 runs in the fifth inning to post a 12-5 victory in the nightcap against Millersville University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Marauder Park. KU dropped the first game, 12-2. (GAME 1 BOXSCORE) / (GAME 2 BOXSCORE)
The Golden Bears' top half of the batting order has remained consistent through their first 26 games. Head baseball coach Chris Blum noticed a current hitting slump his team was going through. He believed it was time for a major facelift in hopes of providing an extra spark. KU got more than a mere spark at the plate in its final game of the series, and a new look to the top five spots in the lineup may be just what KU needs in the heart of its conference schedule
Shayne Houck (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown), a usual three-hole hitter and one of the best hitters in the PSAC, batted leadoff for Kutztown on Sunday and cashed in on multiple opportunities. In his first time batting leadoff since his freshman season, Houck drew a walk and scored to give KU the early lead. More notably, Houck had a pair of fifth inning hits, including a grand slam to help secure the victory.
Kutztown (15-11 overall, 5-7 PSAC East) had eight straight hits in the fifth, all of which coming with no outs before being capped off with Houck's homer.
“When I first saw the lineup, I was a bit confused to be honest,” Houck said. “This wasn't something coach and I had ever talked about, so I thought he was trying to mix things up a little bit. I didn't really have a different approach at the plate. I did take more pitches than I normally would though, so I could try and pick up any patterns to help out the other guys in the lineup.”
Having a team's best hitter bat leadoff is not always a common trait, but it proved to be effective in the victory over MU. Along with batting a team-high .380, Houck also leads the team in slugging percentage (.696), on-base percentage (.482), runs scored (32), hits (35), runs batted in (35), doubles (11) and home runs (six).
Seniors Mike Dugan (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) and James Quigley (Bensalem, PA/Bensalem) followed Houck in the lineup and each added a pair of singles for KU. Holding a .340 batting average, Dugan leads the team with 12 multi-hit games and is second on the team in hits (32) and runs scored (24). Quigley, a .323 hitter, is third on the team in RBIs (19), and second on the team in doubles (eight) and total bases (45).
Matt Albaugh (Hatfield, PA/North Penn), Cody Montz (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven), and Andrew Otterberg (Wall Township, N.J./Wall Township) also had multi-hit games for KU in the nightcap and all drove in runs as well (Albaugh-3; Montz-2, Otterberg-1). All three are batting over .320 this season.
Earning the win for the Golden Bears was Nich Boles (King, N.C./West Stokes/North Carolina A&T). He allowed five runs over as many innings and struck out two MU hitters. Boles is now 2-0 on the season.
“One thing we can take from today is how we responded after the opening loss,” Blum said. “After the first game, I told the guys we are now playing for our playoff lives and we needed to play better as a team. Our guys battled back in the second game and I feel they responded well to that scenario.”
The opening game Sunday afternoon went from a dominant pitching matchup to a Marauder hitting rally in the matter of an inning. Trent Mertz (Kutztown, PA/Kutztown) got the start for KU and got off to a great start. With two outs in the third inning, Mertz already had five strikeouts and appeared to be in control of the game. Unfortunately for KU, the Marauders went on a two-out rally, plating five runs off five consecutive hits.
Brad Stoudt (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights) had two of KU's four hits in the first game, including a two-run homer in the fifth inning scoring Albaugh. This was Stoudt's first home run of the season.
Millersville (20-6, 7-3) was paced by its hitting in the opener, most of which by Zach Stone and Mike August. Stone was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs. August had a game-high three RBIs and was one of five Marauders with two or more hits. Mike McMonagle earned his third win of the season for MU and struck out four batters in his five innings or work.
“We lost a tough first game, but we came back strong in the second game,” Houck said. “We played with a lot of intensity, got some breaks to fall our way, and were able to score some runs. Coach told us it is like playoffs now, and we have to keep winning to advance. Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling after leaving with a win.”
Kutztown's next game was scheduled for Monday against Washington Adventist, but was canceled with no makeup date set. KU will return to action on Friday, Apr. 8 as it travels to Mansfield University for a PSAC East matchup. KU will host Mansfield at North Campus Field on Saturday. Both games are doubleheaders scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
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