Photo Gallery

HAMPTON, Va. – Four Golden Bears combined to scatter two hits over nine innings en route to a shutout, as the Kutztown University baseball team jumped on top early for a second straight day in a 7-0 blanking of the Newport News Apprentice School on Friday afternoon.
 
Senior Kurtis Hultz (Birdsboro, Pa./Daniel Boone (Cecil College)) picked up his first career win at KU, tossing four hitless innings in his first career start with seven strikeouts and four walks. He struck out the side in the second.
 
Hultz then passed the ball to his classmate, fellow senior Ben Eppley (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Frederick C.C.)), who gave up just one hit and walked one while facing the minimum in three frames in his first career appearance on the hill for Kutztown.
 
David Brown (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) and Matt Matricardi (Dresher, Pa./Upper Dublin) came on to preserve the shutout with one scoreless inning of relief apiece. They each faced the minimum, with Matricardi striking out the side
 
In total, the KU pitching staff allowed a runner to reach scoring position in just one inning – the fourth – and had four 1-2-3 frames.
 
Less than 24 hours after recording 17 hits in its season-opener, the Kutztown offense provided 14 more on Friday afternoon, highlighted by freshman Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI, a run and a stolen base in his first career start for the Maroon and Gold.
 
KU (2-0) jumped on top just two batters into the game as Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua), who ledoff with an infield single, came around to score on Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood)'s double to right-center field.
 
Back-to-back one-out singles by Zach Schram (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North (Mercer County C.C.)) and Bishop in the top of the second eventually led to a second run when Kevin Sell (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights) drove in Schram with a sacrifice fly.
 
After stranding the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Kutztown took advantage of another bases loaded opportunity in the fifth after Alec O'Dell (Edgewood, Md./West Chester Bayard Rustin (Harford C.C.)), Joe Santospago (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood (Mercer County C.C.)) and Dariel Richardson (Reading, Pa./Reading) all hit singles with one away. Following a strikeout, it was Bishop coming through with a clutch two-out single to center field to make the score 4-0.
 
Santospago homered for the second time in less than 24 hours to match his total from all of last season and push the lead to 6-0 in the top of the seventh.
 
KU had three straight singles once more in the eighth, by Bishop, Derian Sarlat (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) and Rottet, before Ryan Cox (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell (St. Bonaventure)) capped the scoring with a two-RBI single.
 
That base hit was the third time Rottet reached base on the afternoon, as he finished 2-for-3 with Kutztown's only walk of the day. Santospago also had two hits, finishing 2-for-4, and was the only Golden Bear to score twice.
 
KU continues play in the Builder Invitational tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 25, with two games. The Maroon and Gold begin the day with a 2 p.m. first pitch against Bloomsburg before taking on Apprentice School at 5 p.m.