Weekend Series Stats

BEL AIR, Md. – After Slippery Rock scored four late runs to help it win the opening game, Kutztown scored four late runs of its own in the nightcap to salvage a doubleheader split and clinch a series victory on Sunday at the Hartford Complex.
 
KU (6-2) has won four-of-five and improves to 4-2 against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents on the young season.
 
Kutztown was facing the possibility of a doubleheader sweep late into game two until Joe Santospago (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood (Mercer County C.C.))'s RBI triple with two outs in the top of the sixth tied the game at 1-1.
 
Doug Conrad (West Chester, Pa./Downingtown West (Clarion)) worked a 1-2-3 bottom half of the sixth, and after KU failed to score in the top of the seventh, worked around a leadoff error to send the game to extra innings.
 
In extras, Kutztown would take advantage of a Slippery Rock error to pull away with four runs. Derian Sarlat (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) singled with one out to begin it all, and Ryan Cox (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell (St. Bonaventure)) would follow with a walk before the error loaded the bases for Santospago.
 
The senior came through once again, singling home two runs with the eventual game-winning base hit. Slippery Rock got a second out, but this time it was Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) driving in two with a single to add insurance and make the score 5-1.
 
Conrad had to work to earn the win after a leadoff single and one-out single gave Slippery Rock runners on first and second, but the sophomore-transfer closed the door with the final two outs to put a stamp on his first career win at KU.
 
Those eighth inning hits were just two of the three that Conrad gave up over 4.1 innings of relief. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.
 
Conrad relieved starter Josh Houser (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock (Harford C.C.)), who also did not allow an earned run in 3.1 innings. His lone blemish was an unearned run in the first inning, and afterwards he worked back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the second and third. In total, he scattered three hits and walked two.
 
Offensively, Santospago was the only Golden Bear to reach base multiple times as he finished 2-for-4 with the three RBI and also scored once, walked and stole a base.
 
It was unearned runs that also decided the outcome in game one despite 16 hits for the Golden Bears.
 
Kutztown jumped ahead 2-0 early thanks to a Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) double and Santospago groundout in the top of the first, but it was Slippery Rock who scored the next five runs with three in the second and two more in the fifth.
 
KU had an answer in its next at bat in the sixth, sending eight batters to the plate to re-take the lead with four runs on five hits.
 
Alec O'Dell (Edgewood, Md./West Chester Bayard Rustin (Harford C.C.)) got it all started with a pinch-hit double and he would come around to score on Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood)'s RBI single. Ben Eppley (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Frederick C.C.)) then made it three straight hits with yet another single and he would execute a double steal with Lafferty during the next at bat to give Cox an at bat with two runners in scoring position.
 
The redshirt-junior would drive both of them in with a game-trying 2-RBI single before stealing second, which proved important when Santospago followed a strikeout with an RBI single to put Kutztown back on top 6-5.
 
KU got the first out in the bottom half of the inning and appeared to have the second, but an error gave Slippery Rock an opening that it used to break open the game with four unearned runs. The Maroon and Gold were able to get a second out, but The Rock came through with back-to-back two-out, 2-RBI base hits. The first was a triple to re-take the lead, 7-6, before a home run provided insurance to make to make the score 9-6.
 
Singles by Brady Carras (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area), Lafferty and Rottet got Kutztown within two and brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but Slippery Rock was able to end the threat and even the series.
 
Eppley led the offense with a career-best 4-for-5 day with two runs from the leadoff spot. Two-hole hitter Rottet matched a career-high by going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run.
 
Zach Schram (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North (Mercer County C.C.)), Santospago and Lafferty added two hits each. Lafferty was perfect 2-for-2 with a run and RBI, while Schram walked once and Santospago had two RBI.
 
Anthony Atticks (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township (Harford C.C.)) did not surrender an earned run in 1.2 relief innings.
 
Kutztown continues its stretch of 18 games away from home to start the season with the beginning of its annual Spring Break trip next Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m. against Fairmont State in Barton, N.C.