WILSON, N.C. – The hot-hitting of the Kutztown University baseball team continued to conclude its spring break trip, hammering out 20 hits on its way to a 15-8 victory over the Barton College Bulldogs.
 
The trend of back-and-forth games that the KU baseball team has been apart over its spring break trip sustained itself on Wednesday afternoon. Kutztown led 6-1 after 4.5 innings, but Barton used a six-run sixth to take an 8-6 lead. The Golden Bears answered right back, however, bringing four runs across the plate in the top of the seventh to go ahead, 10-8. Tacking on five runs in the top of the ninth, the Maroon and Gold secured the victory against Barton, winning their fourth game in North Carolina.
 
In critical situations, KU showed its offensive strength, batting .364 with two outs, .476 with runners in scoring position and going 6-of-9 leading off innings.
 
Ryan Cox (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell (St. Bonaventure)) reached base five times with three hits and two walks, driving in two and scoring four runs. Mitch Pinder (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) and Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood) had four hits while Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) collected three in the game. Lafferty enjoyed a day off from his customary catching duties with a team-high five RBI batting fifth in the designated hitter role. Pinder, Ryan Weller (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) and Bishop each totaled two-RBI with Tanner Miller (Elizabethville, Pa./Upper Dauphin Area) adding an RBI as well. Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) collected two hits, reaching 100 for his career and scored three runs in five at-bats.
 
Josh Houser (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock (Harford C.C.)) was excellent on the mound as the starter for KU, scattering four hits and giving up just one unearned run and two walks in 4.0 innings, striking out two.
 
Cox walked to lead off the second inning and put pressure on the Bulldog defense immediately, taking off for second base on the first pitch to Lafferty. Cox swiped the bag easily and then advanced to third on an overthrow from the Barton catcher. Lafferty then squared up the next pitch to put KU on the board first, lacing an RBI-double down the left field line to bring in Cox.
 
The middle of the lineup continued its effectiveness in the top half of the fourth inning as Rottet led off with a double to left center and Cox followed that with his second walk of the afternoon. Pinder then stepped to the plate and delivered and RBI-single through the hole between shortstop and third base to bring in the speedy Rottet from second.
 
Following a pitching change, Cox and Pinder executed a double steal during Weller's at-bat to get them both into scoring position. Weller did his job a short time later, sending a sacrifice fly out to medium right field to tack on another run in the top of the fourth, ahead 3-0.
 
The Bulldogs were finally able to get to Houser in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs in the inning. A tough play for Rottet at shortstop could've kept Houser's scoreless outing going, but unfortunately he mishandled the ball, allowing Barton to bring across its first run of the day. Houser walked the next batter to load the bases once again, but this time he induced a deep fly ball that was tracked down by Mike Villa (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton (Lackawanna)) in right center to get out of the frame.
 
Needing to get that run back, the Maroon and Gold didn't hesitate to get going quickly in the fifth, as Bishop singled and advanced to second on a Rottet single, putting two Golden Bears aboard. With two outs, Cox continued his effective day at the plate, doubling in Bishop with a roped line drive down the right field line. Lafferty followed that up with a two-RBI single to right for KU's third run of the inning.
 
Houser's exit after the fourth allowed the Bulldogs to climb back into the game as Barton plated one in the fifth off of Charles in his first inning. Charles came out for the sixth after Kutztown was held scoreless in the top half and the Bulldogs loaded the bases with no-one out. Moving those runners around by way of hits surrendered by both Charles and Gavilan Fogarty-Harnish (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata), the Bulldogs delivered an offensive explosion in the frame. All told, Barton brought across six runs in the bottom of the sixth, taking an 8-6 lead into the final three innings.
 
This time, it was Kutztown which responded to a deficit as Lafferty singled in Rottet to cut the Barton lead to one. Pinder then laid down an attempted sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, but beat out the throw to first, bringing Cox all the way around from second to tie the game. Another Bulldog miscue, their third error of the game, allowed Weller to reach on a throwing error, scoring Pinder from third base to put KU back in front, 9-8. A perfect bunt from the pinch-hitter Miller scored Weller to increase the advantage to two.
 
Fogarty-Harnish kept Barton off the board in the seventh and was then replaced by Mike Kammerer (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) to begin the eighth inning. The veteran senior rolled a 4-6-3 double play to end the eighth and his team helped him with five insurance runs in the top of the ninth as Pinder scored on a wild pitch and Bishop followed with a two-RBI single. Cox then singled to left scoring Villa and Lafferty capped the five-run ninth with an RBI-double to left in the next at-bat.
 
Kammerer set the Bulldogs down in in the ninth to seal the victory for the Maroon and Gold, pitching 2.0 innings of two-hit, no-run ball in relief. Fogarty-Harnish gets the win, improving to 2-0, while Kammerer picks up the save, his first of the season.
 
The Golden Bears finish their spring break trip with a record of 4-1, improving their overall record to 5-4 with one game remaining before conference play begins.
 
KU will next face the University of the Sciences in its home-opener on Monday, Mar. 19 at 3:30 p.m. at North Campus Field.