Box Score



Boxscore
 
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team plated seven runs in the final three innings and held Philadelphia University scoreless in the last three to earn a come from behind, 10-8, victory in a nine inning non-conference game at Alumni Field Sunday afternoon.
 
Kutztown (14-4) entered the seventh inning down 8-3 and was two strikes away from leaving two men on base.  Senior Shayne Houck (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown) (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) ignited the comeback with his team-leading fourth home run of the season.  The three-run bomb to left cut the deficit to two and proved to bring the rest of the KU bats to life.
 
The Golden Bears kept their foot on the throttle in the eighth as it knew the number of opportunities was growing slim.  KU loaded the bases to start the inning and tied the game at eight off a two-run Cody Montz (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven) (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Schuylkill Haven) single to center field. 
 
The Rams (5-15) got the next two batters out to bring senior Brad Stoudt (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights) (Topton, Pa./Brandywine Heights) to the plate with men on first and second.  He laced a single to center to score Montz from second to represent to eventual game-winning run.  Houck followed Stoudt with his third hit and fourth RBI of the afternoon to score Andrew Otterberg (Wall Township, N.J./Wall Township) (Wall Township, NJ/Wall Township) on a single to left.  KU would continue to apply pressure in the inning by loading the bases, but a new Ram pitcher got out of the jam with a pop fly in foul territory.
 
KU's bullpen consisting of sophomore Kyle Stoudt (Mertztown, PA/Brandywine Heights) (Topton, Pa./Brandywine Heights) and freshman Connor Wing (West Chester, PA/Unionville) (West Chester, Pa./Unionville) played a significant role in the come from behind victory by shutting down the Rams for the final 4.1 innings.  Kyle Stoudt (Mertztown, PA/Brandywine Heights) relieved starter Colin Holmes (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) with two outs in the fourth.  He let up two unearned runs off inherited runners, but didn't make a mistake from there on.  He took KU to the ninth inning and allowed just four hits while striking out four batters and walking just one in his second win of the season.
 
Wing got the call from head coach Chris Blum to close the door in the bottom of the ninth.  He retired the first batter but let up a single the following at bat to bring the tying run to the plate.  Wing forced PU's CJ Wallowitch to hit a groundball to shortstop that resulted in a game-ending double play.  It was the freshman's first save of the season.
 
Philadelphia took the early 2-1 advantage in the third inning when Ken McCormick hit a two-run single with one out to give the Rams the lead.
 
Sean McCormick (West Chester, PA/Henderson) (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) and Brandon Hickey (Mountville, PA/Hempfield) (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield) helped KU regain the lead with back to back RBI doubles in the top of the fourth.  Each hitter had two hits in the game.
 
Philadelphia would take its final lead of the game after it plated four runs in the fifth off three hits including a two RBI single by Hunter Greenwood.  Jordan Force paced PU with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate.
 
Montz entered the game in the seventh inning and ended the day 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI's.  Houck's three hits and four RBI were both a season-high.
 
The Golden Bears now get a well-deserved pair of days off after playing nine games in the past seven days.  During its spring break, KU won seven of nine.  It returns to action on Wednesday, Mar. 21 to take on Felician College in a nine-inning game at North Campus Field.  First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and live stats can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.