PHILADELPHIA – The Kutztown University baseball team fell 12-8 in a road non-conference matchup with Philadelphia University Monday afternoon at Alumni Field.
The Golden Bears (18-23, 8-12 PSAC) combined for eight hits and 11 walks as a team, but their late-inning comeback effort fell short in the defeat.
Philadelphia scored seven runs in the bottom of the first, added one run in the second and three more in the third to give the Rams a 11-0 lead.
Kutztown responded with three runs in both the top of the fourth and fifth to cut the deficit to 11-6.
Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood) got KU on the board in the fourth with a single to right center to score
Zach Schram (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North (Mercer County C.C.)).
Anthony Sneska (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) followed it later in the inning with a two-RBI double to left center that plated
Mike Milazzo (Titusville, N.J./Notre Dame) and Lafferty to make it 11-3.
Schram came around to score in the fifth with an infield single by
Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua). Milazzo scored on a wild pitch and Rottet made it home on the same play on a throwing error by the catcher trying to nab him at third to make it 11-6.
The Rams (14-23) added another run in the bottom of the sixth before KU went on one last late-inning rally.
Schram doubled to right center to drive in
Brady McNab (Hatboro, Pa./Archbishop Wood (Frederick C.C.)) in the top of the eighth and later scored on a sacrifice-fly by Lafferty to make it 12-8. Kutztown was able to get one runner aboard in the ninth, but was retired before doing any more damage to seal the Philly U victory.
The Kutztown offense was led by Schram (2-for-3, one RBI and two runs scored) and Lafferty (2-for-4, two RBIs, one run scored).
Jarrad Choy (Sciota, Pa./Stroudsburg) threw 2.1 scoreless innings in relief with two strikeouts.
Ryan Clow (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) went two scoreless with three strikeouts.
The Golden Bears return to the diamond for a non-conference matchup against Saint Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday, April 19 at 3:30 p.m.
Kutztown resumes PSAC play with a weekend season-series against Bloomsburg University, April 22-23. KU's Senior Day will take place on Saturday, April 23 at North Campus Field, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
KU sits fifth in the PSAC East, a game out of the final playoff spot. The Golden Bears have eight PSAC games left in the regular-season.
