SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Alec O'Dell (Edgewood, Md./West Chester Bayard Rustin (Harford C.C.))'s two-RBI single with one out in the top of the eighth gave the Kutztown University baseball team to an 8-6 win and a doubleheader split with LeMoyne on Monday afternoon. The Dolphins took game one 9-1 thanks to an eight-run sixth inning.
 
Despite trailing 1-6 through five a half innings of play, LeMoyne (23-11) forced extra innings after plating three, including two with two outs, in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) helped KU (13-22) bounce back right away with a leadoff single on the first pitch of the eighth. He advanced to second on an error that gave the Maroon and Gold runners on second and third with zero outs and despite a strikeout, O'Dell stepped to the plate and sent the first pitch he saw through the right side of the infield for two runs and the eventual game-winning base-hit.  
 
After missing out on his first career save when he entered the game with runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Clow (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) bounced back in the eighth to earn his second win of the season. Despite surrendering a one-out single, he faced the minimum when the next batter grounded into a game-ending double play to end 1.2 scoreless innings of relief for the redshirt-senior.
 
The pitching performance of the day came from Gavilan Fogarty-Harnish (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) in his first career start. The freshman was primed to improve to a perfect 3-0 after giving up just one earned run in his six innings of work. He struckout six against just two walks and held the Dolphins scoreless for 4.1 innings.  
 
The Kutztown offense broke out for 13 hits in the nightcap, highlighted by Rotett and Mitch Pinder (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) each finishing a career-best 3-for-3. Rottet reached base all five times he came to the plate as he also walked and was hit by a pitch, and he also scored three runs and drove in two more. For Pinder, it was the freshman's first career three-hit performance. He ended the game 3-for-3 with a double and a walk, scored two runs and opened the scoring in the second with an RBI single.  
 
O'Dell also finished with three hits as he drove in a career-high four runs with another two-RBI single in the fifth.
 
Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) gave KU four Golden Bears with multi-hit performances as he finished 2-for-4 with a walk and a double, as well as two runs and an RBI.
 
After threatening in the first with three runners reaching, Kutztown broke through in the second on Pinder's RBI single. Jeff Zebrowski (Chester Springs, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) led off with a bunt single, stole second and moved up to third on Dariel Richardson (Reading, Pa./Reading)'s groundout before crossing home to open the scoring.
 
KU was not done there as Pinder advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt, and Rottett singled him home to double the advantage. Bishop then made it 3-0 with a double down the right field line.
 
Fogarty-Harnish stranded a runner on third in the second inning and worked around a leadoff double in the fourth before Kutztown extended its lead in the fifth. Rottet got the frame started with a walk and after an infield single by Bishop, Ben Eppley (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Frederick C.C.)) moved the two into scoring position for O'Dell with a sacrifice bunt.
 
Back-to-back singles with one out gave LeMoyne runners on first and third in the bottom-half, and the Dolphins finally got on the board with a sacrifice fly, but Kutztown quickly erased that run on Rottet's bunt single that scored Pinder in the sixth.
 
In game one, Kutztown answered a LeMoyne second inning run with one of their own in the top of the third. Bishop recorded the third single of the inning, following ones by Pinder and Zebrowski, to drive in Zebrowki and even the score at 1-1.
 
KU starter Mike Kammerer (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) then did his part to keep the game tied over the next 2.1 innings before being pulled with one out in the bottom of the fifth. That put an end to a performance in which he allowed just one hit and the one earned run in his 4.1 innings of work. The redshirt-junior fought through walking six and hitting two others as he struckout four.
 
Matt Matricardi (Dresher, Pa./Upper Dublin) replaced Kammerer and stranded runners on second and third with one out to keep the score tied at 1-1 entering the fifth.
 
Kutztown threatened with back-to-back walks by O'Dell and Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood) in the top of the sixth but could not push a run across, and LeMoyne would carry that momentum into the bottom half of the frame and break the game open. The Dolphins used six hits and took advantage of three Golden Bear errors to score eight runs, only two of which were earned.
 
In addition to the three singles in the second inning, Ryan Weller (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) had KU's other hit in game two – a single to leadoff the fifth.
 
Kutztown returns to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play this Friday when it hosts Mansfield for a doubleheader at 1 p.m.