WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team overcame two early deficits to take a 5-3 lead over No. 25 West Chester in the fourth inning of game two of a doubleheader on Saturday, but the Golden Rams closed the game with the final seven runs to complete the four-game Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) weekend sweep. The Maroon and Gold dropped the opener of the doubleheader 5-0 after WCU scored all five its runs in the fourth inning.
After West Chester (22-6, 13-3 PSAC East) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, KU immediately took advantage of four Golden Ram errors in the third to plate two runs.
Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) and
Joe Santospago (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood (Mercer County C.C.)) both singled in the frame, with Bishop driving in the tying run.
West Chester came right back with two runs of their own in the bottom half, but this time Kutztown recorded a three-run fourth to go ahead 5-3.
Ben Eppley (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Frederick C.C.)) and
Mike Milazzo (Titusville, N.J./Notre Dame) led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and
Zack Delp (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) made it three singles in a row to tie the score at 3-3. After a sacrifice bunt by
Justin Afflerbach (Allentown, Pa./Parkland),
Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) gave the Golden Bears the lead with a sacrifice fly before a passed ball allowed the third run to score.
After the leadoff hitter struck out, West Chester loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth. KU starter
Josh Houser (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock (Harford C.C.)) was able to strikeout the next batter for the second out, but the game turned in the next at-bat on a bases-clearing triple to left-centerfield that gave the Golden Rams the lead for good. An infield single by the next hitter put the Golden Rams on top 7-5.
Following a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, West Chester doubled its advantage to five, 10-5, with three more runs in the bottom half.
Santospago and Delp each recorded multi-hit games in the nightcap. Santospago went 2-for-3 to finish the series 5-for-11, while Delp finished 2-for-3 with a double, run and RBI for his third multi-hit performance this season.
Bishop also reached base twice in game two as he went 1-for-3 with a walk, run and RBI, while
Gavilan Fogarty-Harnish (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) pitched a perfect sixth inning.
Game one was much like Saturday's doubleheader, with West Chester using one big inning to take control of the game. This time, it was a five-run fourth that featured all of the game's scoring.
Kutztown (12-21, 3-13) starter
Doug Conrad (West Chester, Pa./Downingtown West (Clarion)) kept West Chester scoreless for the first three frames despite a Golden Ram reaching third base in the first and the third, but a leadoff double led to the game-deciding inning.
After the first out was recorded, back-to-back base-hits drove in the first two runs. The next hitter struck out, but an error kept the inning alive and led to three more runs after consecutive hits yet again.
Peter Masterson (Park Ridge, N.J./Park Ridge) came on to record the final out in the fifth and also pitched a scoreless sixth.
Offensively, Rottet had two of Kutztown's four hits as he finished 2-for-3.
KU is back on the road on Monday as it travels to Syracuse, N.Y. for a 1 p.m. doubleheader at LeMoyne.
