Box Score 1 | Box Score 2



Kutztown 4, Virginia State 1 (HTML Box Score)
 
Kutztown 6, Virginia State 0 (HTML Box Score)
 
PETERSBURG, Va. – Kutztown University head baseball coach Chris Blum reached another career milestone on Thursday. Kutztown notched a doubleheader sweep of Virginia State, including a no-hitter in the finale, to give the 12th-year skipper his 400th career win at the helm of the Golden Bears.
 
The Golden Bears (9-3 overall) won the first game 4-3, and two KU pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter in a 6-0 win in the nightcap. Kutztown's last no-hitter occurred 366 days ago, when KU used five pitchers in a 13-0 win at Shaw.
 
Blum is the ninth coach in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) history to win 400 career games. Now in his 12th season at KU, Blum is the second-quickest PSAC coach to 400 wins, one year behind Mansfield's Harry Hilson.
 
On the national stage, Blum entered the season ranked ninth in Division II in winning percentage among active coaches at 68.6 percent, which also ranks him 19th all-time in Division II. Blum also leads the PSAC in both categories as his overall record stands at 400-184.
 
In game one, Kutztown jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Two batters after John Dockins (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson (Frederick CC)) opened the game with a single, junior Brandon Martinez (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) drove Dockins in with a RBI single. Martinez stole second and was knocked in by Kyle Stoudt (Mertztown, PA/Brandywine Heights) to give KU the 2-0 lead.
 
Virginia State plated a run in the bottom of the first as the teams were held scoreless over the next three innings. In the top of the fifth with one out, Ricky Gorrell (Royersford, PA/Spring-Ford) walked and was moved over to third with a double by Martinez to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Stoudt drove in his second and third runs of the game with a double to left field to score the pair and give KU a 4-1 lead. Stoudt tried to score from second on a double from Carson Baker (Lehman, PA/Lake-Lehman (Lackawanna)), but was thrown out at the plate.
 
Senior Corey Snyder (Lincoln University, PA/Avon Grove) earned the win with four innings on the mound and no earned runs. He notched three strikeouts and allowed two hits. Sophomore Matt Swarmer (Mohnton, PA/Governor Mifflin) took over in the fifth inning with the 4-1 lead and limited VSU to just two additional hits in the final three innings.
 
Sophomore Ryan Clow (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East) and junior Zach Wasson (Pottstown, PA/Boyertown (Montgomery CC)) teamed up to throw the seven-inning no-hitter in the nightcap to send Coach Blum to his milestone win in style. Clow pitched the first four innings and notched four strikeouts with three walks.
 
He handed the ball over to Wasson in the fifth with a 6-0 lead, who continued to apply pressure on Virginia State by giving it no easy looks at the plate. In the final three innings, he completed three 1-2-3 innings with three strikeouts and no walks to cap the no-hitter.
 
Kutztown set the tone from the first inning of game two. Freshman Brandon Cholish (Peckville, PA/Valley View (Lackawanna)) hit a one-out double and was knocked in on Stoudt's two-out double to give Kutztown a 1-0 lead in the first.
 
Cholish was involved in Kutztown's second run as well, but this time it was with a bases loaded hit-by-pitch in the second inning. An error on the Virginia State right fielder scored two runs with two outs in the third inning as KU led 4-0.
 
Stoudt drove in his fifth and sixth runs of the doubleheader in the fourth inning with a two-out single to score Martinez and Cholish, each of whom notched a hit to reach base, as Kutztown scored all six of its runs in the first four innings.
 
The Golden Bears wrapped up their spring break trip on Thursday with a 5-2 record. They have a rare Friday off for travel, but return to action and open PSAC play on Saturday, March 22 against West Chester University. It also marks Kutztown's home-opener at North Campus Field. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.