KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team got itself back on track on Friday afternoon, splitting its two contests, winning 7-1 and falling 4-3, to the regionally-ranked Millersville University Marauders to open its home slate in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play at North Campus Field.
Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood) caught in game one and served in the designated hitter role in game two, combining to go 3-for-5 with three RBI at the plate.
Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua), whom batted lead-off in both games, collected four hits in eight at-bats, scoring three runs.
Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) had three hits, including a two-RBI double in game two, in seven at-bats.
Game One
KU downed Millersville in game one of the home opening doubleheader 7-1 thanks to timely hitting and effective pitching from both Golden Bear arms to appear, starter
Michael Hunter (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights (Marist)) and reliever
Kevin Sell (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights). Hunter picked up his third win of the season, improving to 3-0, throwing 97 pitches over 5.0 innings and surrendering just one earned run while striking out four. Sell then finished it off for Kutztown with 2.0 scoreless innings in relief to earn the save, his first of the season.
Ryan Cox (Aliquippa, Pa., Hopewell (St. Bonaventure)), whom has now reached base safely in 14 straight games, led the Kutztown offense against highly-touted MU pitcher Eli Nabholz, whose fastball was clocked sitting around 91 mph in the early innings. Cox showed no concern with this however, tagging Nabholz for three hits and four RBI in four at-bats. Lafferty, batting in the three-hole, tag-teamed with Cox in the clean-up spot for all six of Kutztown's RBI, collecting two hits and a walk in his four plate appearances.
The rest of the Maroon and Gold lineup then became the beneficiaries of the hitting display put on by Cox and Lafferty as Rottet,
Mike Villa (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton (Lackawanna)) (2),
Dariel Richardson (Reading, Pa./Reading),
Jacoby Pate (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) and
Brady Carras (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area) (2) all scored one or more runs in the game.
The trouble in game one came for Nabholz in the third inning, during which KU plated three of its five total runs off of the Millersville starter. With Carras aboard on a leadoff walk, Rottet beat out an infield single to put runners on first and second with no outs and Villa coming up to the dish.
As expected, Villa dropped down a bunt, which was intended to be a sacrifice, but the MU catcher decided to fire down to third base in attempt to cut out the lead runner, Carras. The throw was in-time, but the Marauder third baseman lost track of the bag during the exchange as the umpire ruled Carras safe at third, giving KU the bases loaded with nobody out. Presented with this opportunity, the Golden Bears took advantage via a Lafferty sacrifice fly, a Cox double to left and a Nabholz wild pitch, scoring Villa, to plate three runs in the home half of the third.
Ahead 4-1 after three innings, Kutztown tacked on one more in the sixth and two in the seventh to provide some insurance, securing their first PSAC victory of the season.
Game Two
The Maroon and Gold continued to have their way at the plate, after collecting 10 hits in game one, to open the second game of the day. Golden Bear starter
Josh Houser (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock (Harford C.C.)) surrendered one run in the top-half of the first, but this deficit was quickly erased by Bishop in the home-half.
With one out and the bases full, Bishop singled up the middle, scoring Villa and Rottet to put KU ahead 2-0. However, with Cox and Bishop now on first and third with just one out, Kutztown's next two hitters struck out against MU starter Cordell Shannon, seemingly charging the Marauder pitcher with confidence despite him getting touched up early.
KU managed just three more hits in Shannon's next 4.0 innings, kept at bay by the Marauder lefty. Millersville tied it in the third with an RBI double, but gained the upper hand in the fifth, plating two runs off Kutztown reliever
Anthony DeVito (Philadelphia, Pa./Central (Mercer County C.C.)). A two-out RBI double by Cole Friese gave MU the lead and Friese would then come around to score on a Maroon and Gold error, to pull in front, 4-2.
The Golden Bears offense was awoken in the seventh, getting a single from Rottet and double by Villa to chase Shannon from the game with one out. Lafferty produced a sacrifice fly off Marauder reliever Andrew Mayhew to bring KU's deficit within one, trailing 4-3 down to its last at-bat. Cox was unable to get the big hit this time, however, as Mayhew retired him on a fly-out to left field to salvage the Friday split.
Shannon, whose record moves to 3-1 with the win, showed a good mixture of off-speed pitches and was effective in locating them, striking out nine Golden Bears and throwing 111 pitches. Mayhew picked up the save, going 0.2 innings and stranding the tying-run at third base in the seventh.
DeVito (2-2) takes the loss in relief, going 4.0 innings and giving up two runs, one of which was earned, throwing 54 pitches and striking out two.
The Golden Bears take on the Marauders in a doubleheader on the road tomorrow with the series there for the taking with each team winning one at KU. First pitch from Cooper Park is slated for 1 p.m.
