NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Kutztown University baseball team continued its strong opening to the 2016 Builder Invitational, collecting a 9-6 win Friday against host Newport News Apprentice School at War Memorial Stadium.
Starter
Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) turned in a strong-performance, going five innings and striking out five while only allowing two hits and no runs to collect his first victory of the season.
Joe Santospago (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood (Mercer County C.C.)) led the way for the Golden Bears' offense, going 1-for-3 with a bases-clearing, three RBI double. Sell finished the day with two RBIs.
Mike Milazzo (Titusville, N.J./Notre Dame),
Zach Schram (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North (Mercer County C.C.)) and
Jeff Zebrowski (Chester Springs, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) all finished the day with one.
Alec O'Dell (Edgewood, Md./West Chester Bayard Rustin (Harford C.C.)) continued his hot-streak, finishing the day 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
Kyle Rogers (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area) came off the bench and finished the day 2-for-2 with a run scored. Eight different players scored and five different players drove in runs for Kutztown (2-4).
It looked like a pitchers-duel to start off the game, with both Kutztown and Apprentice not collecting a base hit through the first three innings of the game; but once again, KU got its bats going for one run in the fourth and then six more in the fifth to open things up. The Apprentice School got back into the game with a 6-run eighth-inning to close the gap to 7-6. The Golden Bears answered right back in the top of the ninth off a
Kevin Sell (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights) two-run double to give KU a 9-6 lead.
Anthony DeVito (Philadelphia, Pa./Central (Mercer County C.C.)) came in to shut the door in the bottom-half of the inning to collect his first save of the year and seal the Golden Bears victory.
Freshman Corbin Hunt provided a spark off the bench for Apprentice (4-4), finishing the day 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBIs.
Kutztown returns to action tomorrow for two games. KU faces the College of Saint Joseph (VT.) at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27. The Golden Bears follow it up with a matchup against Bloomsburg University at 6 p.m. Both games will be played at War Memorial Stadium.
The seeding for Sunday's final will be decided after the tournament's round-robin round is completed tomorrow evening.
