MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team bounced back from a tough 1-0 extra-inning loss in game one to come back and hold off defending Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division champion and No. 6 Millersville 4-3 in game two of a doubleheader in the two teams' PSAC-opener on Friday afternoon at Cooper Park.
 
Fans: The second two games of the Kutztown -Millersville baseball series has been moved to Saturday, March 25, to be played at Millersville University's Cooper Park, beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Mike Milazzo (Titusville, N.J./Notre Dame)'s two-run home run in the top of the fourth turned out to be the game-winner in the nightcap for KU. The blast drove in Ben Eppley (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Frederick C.C.)), who had led off the inning with a single, to make the score 4-0.
 
After getting shutout with just four hits in game one, Kutztown (10-8, 1-1 PSAC) wasted little time in getting on the board in the nightcap. Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) led off the game with a single, and after stealing second, advanced to third on Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood)'s fly out to left field. Joe Santospago (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood (Mercer County C.C.)) would then drive in the Maroon and Gold's first run of the afternoon with a single up the middle.
 
It was Milazzo who would double the lead in the second inning. This time it was Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) leading off with a single, and after a strikeout, Milazzo found the left-center gap to make the score 2-0.
 
That seemed as it would be plenty for KU starter Anthony Atticks (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township (Harford C.C.)), who surrendered just one hit through his first four innings of work.
 
A leadoff infield single in the bottom of the fifth got Millersville (15-5, 1-1) started though. The next hitter made the first out, but back-to-back walks loaded the bases, and the Marauders took advantage with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to three.
 
A call to the bullpen and Doug Conrad (West Chester, Pa./Downingtown West (Clarion)) could not immediately halt the momentum as he walked the first batter he faced to load the bases once again, and Millersville quickly pulled within one with back-to-back singles.
 
Conrad would go on to get the final out though and would settle in from there, working a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. The leadoff hitter in the seventh singled, and a sacrifice bunt moved the potential tying run into scoring position, but the sophomore-transfer kept his composure by getting the final two batters to fly out to earn his first career save for Kutztown.
 
That closed the line on 2.1 scoreless innings of relief for Conrad, who scattered three hits and walked one.
 
Atticks (1-1) earned his first win of the season by allowing three earned on just two hits in 4.2 innings. He struck out four and walked four.
 
Milazzo led the charge at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with the 3 RBI and what were his first two extra-base hits of the season.
 
Rottet, Eppley and Derian Sarlat (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) also finished 2-for-3 in the nightcap, with Rottet also stealing a base.
 
It was an unearned run that decided the 1-0 opener. Millersville began the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff single and would attempt to sacrifice that runner over to second, which was not only was successful but gave the Marauders runners on second and third with zero outs because of a throw in the dirt.
 
After a pitching change, a second error allowed Millersville to load the bases, and it was a full-count walk that would bring home the game-winning run.
 
In a game that lasted just 1:55, KU starting pitcher Mike Kammerer (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) went toe-to-toe with Eli Nabholz. The two combined for nine 1-2-3 innings and allowed just three runners to reach scoring position until the bottom of the eighth.
 
Kammerer went seven innings, four of which were three-up, three-down, allowing just the one unearned run on four hits before he was pulled after the sacrifice bunt. He struck out six and walked two.
 
Nabholz also gave up four hits, in eight innings, while striking out 12 against zero walks.
 
Prior to the bottom of the eighth, Millersville had a runner advance to scoring position in the first and fourth frames.
 
A two-out double and a walk gave Millersville two on in their first at-bat, but Kammerer ended the only occasion in which he faced two runners on base in the same inning before the eighth with a fly out. Then in the fourth, back-to-back singles to lead off the frame nearly gave the Marauders runners on first and third with none away, but Eppley threw out the runner attempting to advance to third, and Kammerer would strikeout the next two batters.
 
Kutztown carried that momentum into its next at-bat and produced its best scoring opportunity of the opener when Alec O'Dell (Edgewood, Md./West Chester Bayard Rustin (Harford C.C.)) and Bishop roped back-to-back one-out singles, but a double play quickly ended the threat.
 
In addition to O'Dell and Bishop, Rottet and Santospago also singled in the opener.