Box Score



Kutztown 1, Millersville 0 (HTML Box Score)

Tournament Stats: Kutztown | Player | Team | Combined
 
Photo Gallery

AUDIO Call of Final Out on Golden Bear Network | VIDEO of Dogpile after Final Out
 
BUTLER, Pa. – Brandon Shimo (Jermyn, PA/Lakeland (Lackawanna)) pitched a complete game shutout to lift the Kutztown University baseball team to a 1-0 win over Millersville University and the 2014 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship. Shimo was named the Tournament MVP.

The Golden Bears become the first No. 4 seed to win the PSAC Championship. It took down the top seed in the West in Seton Hill in the first round, the third seed in the West in Pitt-Johnstown in the semifinals, and now the top seed in the East in Millersville in the championship. This is Kutztown's seventh PSAC Championships in program history and first since 2008. It also won in 2008, 2006, 2005, 2002, 1999 and 1966. The Golden Bears won three of those under head coach Chris Blum.
 
"Our guys put together an incredible run to end the season," Blum said. "We were dead and buried after the sweep to Bloomsburg, and I guess you could call it some sort of a resurrection. They ran through eight of the final 10 (PSAC) games, and then through this single elimination tournament. Just incredible.
 
"Shimo told me this morning, 'Don't worry Coach, I got this', and then he goes out and shuts out Millersville in nine innings. There is something magic about this team, and all the guys who came through this program before played a part in getting us here today."
 
Shimo put together a masterpiece on the mound, earning him the MVP honor. In his nine-inning effort on Saturday, the senior allowed seven hits while striking out seven batters and walking one. Including his two scoreless innings against Seton Hill in the opening round of the tournament, Shimo threw 11 scoreless innings and picked up two wins to move to 7-1 on the year.
 
"It is an unexplainable feeling," Shimo said following the game. "Everyone wanted this win and I trusted my teammates. I knew I had to go into today like it was any other game, but I knew deep down what was at stake. All of these guys worked so hard to get us here today and to pull off this Cinderella story we have going on right now. We all wanted this win so bad, and I think we proved that today.
 
"Throughout this past year, I haven't had much of a curveball," Shimo said. "I changed my grip and my arm angle a little bit, and that was the key for me today. I was able to get batters chasing balls out of the zone with it. My defense was excellent behind me and made some fantastic plays, and we got the one run we needed."
 
Kutztown's first hit of the game led to its first run of the game. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Ricky Gorrell (Royersford, PA/Spring-Ford) led off with a double in the left-center gap. He moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on the following at-bat on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Martinez (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) to left field.
 
"We came out with the mentality that we had to play hard and execute on every play," Gorrell said. "I personally enjoy leading off innings, so I tried to be aggressive and take the ball the other way because I knew they were going to pitch me outside. I was able to sit back on the pitch and drive it."
 
Kutztown has been playing with its back against the wall for nearly three weeks now. It won seven of its final eight PSAC games to qualify for the PSAC Tournament, and currently rides a six-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.
 
With the championship, Kutztown earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament. KU will find out where it play during the Selection Show on Sunday, May 11 live on NCAA.com.
 
Millersville stranded runners in eight of the nine innings in the setback. Pitcher Tad Barton was tabbed with the loss with eight innings of three-hit ball.
 
Kutztown scored just one run in its final 17 innings of the tournament after it totaled six in the first inning against Pitt-Johnstown in the semifinals.