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MANSFIELD, Pa. – It took ten innings in the opener of Friday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division baseball doubleheader, but Shayne Houck (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown)'s two-run, PSAC record-setting homer, along with Dominick Ruscitti (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville-Newbaugh/Dominican College)'s nine scoreless innings on the mound lifted Kutztown to a 5-0 victory over Mansfield.  KU also took the nightcap, 7-5.
 
The homer came with one out in the top of the tenth inning.  It put the Golden Bears (30-14 overall, 13-9 PSAC East) up 2-0 as the long drive carried additional meaning for the KU senior.  Not only was it Houck's team-leading ninth homer of the season, it was the 44th of his career to set the PSAC all-time record.  He also owns the PSAC career record for runs scored (211).

With the win, Kutztown has secured its place in the PSAC playoffs for the 11th time in the last 12 years.  Saturday's games will determine the seeding for the double-elimination tournament at Butler, PA next week.  West Chester and Shippensburg have also clinched a place in the postseason.  Millersville and Bloomsburg will need to earn their place in the tournament on Saturday.
 
Houck's bomb, along with the three additional runs KU scored in the tenth, proved to be enough to give Ruscitti the win on the mound.  The senior from Washingtonville, N.Y. was phenomenal on the mound against the Mountaineers (13-24, 5-17).  He allowed just four hits and struck out six batters while walking none in nine innings of work.  He threw 113 pitches and went a stretch of retiring 17 of 18 batters, spanning from the fourth to ninth innings.
 
Sean McCormick (West Chester, PA/Henderson) (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) and Brad Stoudt (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights) (Topton, Pa./Brandywine Heights) teamed up for back-to-back two-out RBI singles in the tenth to grow the KU lead to five.  Jason Henderson (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone) (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) closed the game in the tenth and struck out one batter.
 
McCormick and junior catcher Matt Albaugh (Hatfield, PA/North Penn) (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) each went 3-for-5 at the plate.  All six hits were singles.
 
Joe Candelmo started on the hill for Mansfield and went toe-to-toe with Ruscitti.  He threw 7.2 innings and allowed just two Golden Bear hits.  He struck out four batters but walked three.  Joel Worthington allowed the five KU runs in the tenth and was issued the loss.
 
Cody Montz (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven) (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Schuylkill Haven) opened the second game with a single to right field.  The senior infielder entered the day on a 15-game hitting streak in which he was hitting .510, but was held hitless in the opener.  However, Montz did walk in the first game to extend his streak of safely reaching base to 22 games.  
 
Montz accounted for the first run of the game as Houck knocked him in with an RBI single to left field.
 
Anthony Renz gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the day with a two run homer in the bottom of the first inning off KU southpaw Tom Neely (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan) (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan).  The runs were unearned as an MU runner reached the previous at-bat off an infield error.
 
Kutztown plated five of its runs in the third and fourth innings, largely due to the efforts of freshman outfielder Travis Kreitz (Gilbertsville, PA/Boyertown) (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown).  Kreitz hit a ball off the right field wall in the third to tie the game at two apiece.  He again worked the ball to right field in the fourth inning, but used his power to drive the ball over the fence for a two run homer.  It was his third of the season.
 
McCormick, Houck, and Kyle Stoudt (Mertztown, PA/Brandywine Heights) (Topton, Pa./Brandywine Heights) each had RBI hits in the nightcap as the Golden Bears tallied 14 hits.
 
Mansfield threatened in the final inning as KU held a 7-4 lead with three outs remaining.  With two on and one out, Matt Fisher hit a single up the middle to score the man from second base.  KU left-hander Damon Valloreo (Vincentown, N.J./Burlington CCC) (Vincentown, N.J./Senaca), however, shut down the potential comeback by striking out the final batter to pick up his first save of the season.
 
Neely picked up his sixth win of the season with 4.2 innings of work.  He allowed four runs – two earned – and struck out three batters.
 
Mansfield starter Andy Young threw 145 pitches and threw all seven innings.  He struck out four batters as all seven runs were earned. 
 
The teams conclude their conference schedules on Saturday at North Campus Field.  First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.  Seven KU seniors will be honored before Saturday's game for Senior Day.  Check out a feature on all seven seniors by clicking here.