EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team dropped a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division games on the road to East Stroudsburg University Monday, falling by 10-2 and 5-1 at Mitterling Field.
A home run from
Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood) was the highlight of the Golden Bears' campaign. Lafferty went 3-for-5 with two RBI in the doubleheader.
The Golden Bears were the first on the board in game one, sparked by Lafferty's RBI single, driving home
Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) to set KU ahead 1-0.
Unfortunately, ESU caught fire after the first, pulling away with a two-run double in the bottom of the second. Its next at-bat notched a third run, overtaking KU's short-term lead to 3-1.
ESU took a commanding advantage over the Golden Bears one inning later with an additional RBI single, followed by a three-run homer to close the third ahead 7-1.
East Stroudsburg's defense continued to keep the Maroon and Gold without a run for 3.5 innings until the top of the fifth, when
Ryan Cox (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell (St. Bonaventure))'s RBI single sent
Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) to scoring position and sent
Dariel Richardson (Reading, Pa./Reading) home for KU's second run of game one.
East Stroudsburg (15-12-1, 5-6-1 PSAC) continued its momentum heading into the nightcap Monday, opening with a sacrifice fly to left field and a 1-0 lead in the first. ESU returned to add four runs into the third and cap the inning with a 5-0 lead over the Golden Bears.
Lafferty was the sole runner to put KU on the board and avoid a game-two shutout after notching his second home run of the season in the top of the fourth, capping the Maroon and Gold's scoring on the afternoon.
Relief pitcher
Kurtis Hultz (Birdsboro, Pa./Daniel Boone (Cecil College)) was the featured pitcher for Kutztown Monday. He closed the nightcap without surrendering a single run in three innings, striking out six batters.
With the two setbacks, the Golden Bears sit 12-17, 3-9 in the PSAC.
The Golden Bears return home this Friday, April 14, for another doubleheader against PSAC rival West Chester, set to begin at 1 p.m. at North Campus Field.
