HTML Box Scores: Game 1 | Game 2
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team had numerous opportunities in the nightcap of its doubleheader against Mansfield University to clinch a sweep on Monday in extra innings. KU won game one 5-2, but was unable to find the answer in extra innings against the Mounties in a 7-6, 14-inning loss in the nightcap at North Campus Field, Kutztown's home-opener.
 
Left-hander Paul Piromalli led the Golden Bears (11-7, 3-7 PSAC East) to their 5-2 win in game one. In the first complete game of his career, Piromalli struck out a career-high 11 batters with no walks. He allowed five hits and Mansfield's two runs, but none of the runs against KU in the opener were earned. Piromalli improved his season ERA to 0.78.
 
Notably, seven of Mansfield's nine runs on the afternoon were unearned against Kutztown due to seven combined errors, five in game two.
 
Brady McNab continued his blistering-hot pace with his first career home run on Monday. As the second batter in the first inning with a full count, McNab hit a long fly ball the opposite direction to left field that went over the wall for KU's 2-0 lead. Brandon Hickey also hit a RBI single in the inning as KU led 3-0 through one.
 
Following his 2-for-3 performance in game two, McNab is hitting at a .458 clip, third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
 
Mansfield clawed back with two unearned runs in the third inning to trail 3-2, but a pinch-hit RBI single by senior Ricky Gorrell and a sacrifice bunt that scored a run by Brandon Martinez sealed Kutztown's 5-2 win in the opener.
 
Kutztown's 14-inning affair in the nightcap took more than four hours to determine a winner, as the sun was less an hour from setting over the Berks County mountains. It was KU's longest game since a 14-inning game at West Chester on May 4, 2013.
 
Sophomore Dariel Richardson put on a clinic on pulling the ball with power. He hit 4-for-6 with a triple and three doubles. It marked the first KU player in the Chris Blum era (13 years) and the first dating back through the 1999 season to have four extra-base hits in a game. It was Richardson's first career four-hit game and KU's first four-hit performance of the season. His nine total bases were the most for KU since Shayne Houck had 10 vs. Apprentice on Feb. 18, 2011.
 
In extra innings, Kutztown's best chance to win was with a Hickey leadoff triple down the right field line in the 11th inning. Following an intentional walk, KU popped up, struck out swinging and grounded out to shortstop to neutralize the potential game-winning inning.
 
KU also put a runner in scoring position with two outs in the 12th and 13th innings, but could not advance the runner past second base in either inning.
 
Mansfield won the game in the top of the 14th inning. It hit a leadoff double, and on a base hit during the next at-bat, the KU right fielder bobbled and could not pick up the ball as the runner then went home and scored the unearned run for a 7-6 lead.
 
KU pitcher Matt Swarmer was able to get out of the jam with two of his career-high 14 strikeouts. It marked the most strikeouts by a KU pitcher since Darin Gorski sat down 15 Slippery Rock batters on May 6, 2009. Swarmer pitched 8.1 innings of relief and allowed five hits and one run – none earned – with just one walk.
 
KU was originally down to its final out in the bottom of the seventh inning, after Mansfield took a one-run lead with a two-out, two-run single up the middle in the sixth. With a runner on second base and a 1-1 count in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, KU catcher Derian Sarlat belted a single over the leaping Mansfield third baseman to score the runner and force the eventual seven extra innings.
 
The Golden Bears will look to rebound and get back on a winning stride this weekend with a four-game series against Shippensburg University on April 3-4.