WILSON, N.C. – The Kutztown University baseball team won its second consecutive game of the Collegiate Baseball Classic, downing nationally-ranked No. 4 Mercyhurst University 7-6 on Saturday afternoon.
Belief. There's a lot of power in that six-letter word and that shined through for KU in facing off with Mercyhurst today at Historic Fleming Stadium.
Despite the Lakers sending their ace Russell Lamovec to the mound, who hadn't given up a hit in 12.0 innings this season, the Golden Bears didn't blink. Mike Villa (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton (Lackawanna)) quickly silenced that notion, picking up a hit to lead off the game. Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) and Bo Rottet then followed in the two and three spots, reaching base on a walk and Mercyhurst fielding error, respectively, packing the bags for Ryan Cox (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell (St. Bonaventure)). Cox showed great plate discipline, working a RBI walk to bring Villa home. Jeff Charles (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall (Lehigh Carbon C.C.)) came up a short time later and brought Bishop home on an RBI groundout giving KU the early 2-0 lead.
After making Lamovec look very pedestrian in the first inning, Kutztown pitcher Michael Hunter (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights (Marist)) set the Lakers down, stranding two runners on, in the bottom of the first. The Maroon and Gold then proved how hungry they still were in the second after a Brady Karras walk to open inning number two. Nine-hole hitter Dariel Richardson squared up a Lamovec fastball on 1-0 count and crushed it over the fence in left-center field, a no-doubter two-run homer which extended KU's lead to 4-0. Threatening for more as the inning progressed, Jeff Charles (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall (Lehigh Carbon C.C.)) drew a walk to tack on one more run, scoring Bishop who had reached base on an infield single.
With a five-run cushion, Hunter got stronger as his outing progressed, finishing his day with 4.0 strong innings of work and 86 pitches, striking out three and giving up just three hits while surrendering just one earned run.
The Lakers proved they would not go down quietly, however, posting three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth inning off of KU reliever Anthony DeVito. Rottet scored on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth to give Kutztown a bit of insurance, but its lead was cut to one run, ahead 5-4 after six.
A scoreless seventh paved the way for an exciting eighth inning with both teams battling in what was a highly-competitive, back-and-forth affair. Cox, Lafferty and Charles reached base in three consecutive at-bats in the top of the eighth, bringing Mitch Pinder to the plate. Pinder delivered a huge insurance run for KU with an RBI single to right field on an 0-2 count to put his team ahead 7-4.
Gavilan Fogerty-Harnish induced a double-play ball in the seventh and a pop-up to end the inning, seemingly cruising in relief. However, the eighth inning produced some fireworks of which Fogerty-Harnish had to put out. A one-out walk brought Laker Colin Fantaskey to the dish and he smoked a 2-RBI home run to left field, bringing Mercyhurst within one. The Ephrata native calmed his nerves after this, getting the next two Lakers out in order to keep Kutztown ahead going into the final inning. A heated top of the ninth inning in which KU was held scoreless set the stage for a dramatic bottom of the ninth.
Fogerty-Harnish made sure the drama was limited, though, slamming the door on the Lakers' comeback hopes with a one-two-three bottom of the ninth. Fogerty-Harnish gets the win in relief, improving to 1-0 on the season, throwing 42 pitches and going 3.0 innings, striking out two and allowing just one hit.
The belief which the team had that it could get the job done extended across the entire lineup in today's game. The top four batters in the order (Villa, Bishop, Rottet, Cox) hit a combined .350 will Villa leading the way collecting three hits in five at-bats. Cox, the senior leader, provided a steadying force for the Golden Bears, collecting two hits with one double and one RBI, while also playing an excellent defensive first base.
Richardson picked up two RBI two hits as well, none bigger than the long ball he delivered in the second which came with an equally as impressive bat-flip. Pinder went 2-for-5 with an RBI while Charles picked up two RBI walks in the DH spot.
KU improves to 3-3 with the victory while Mercyhurst (6-3) has now lost three straight in North Carolina, being swept by West Virginia State in both of their games on Friday.
Weather permitting, Kutztown will take on WVSU tomorrow at 1 p.m., looking to keep things rolling with their third straight win of this trip.
