KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team got base hits from six different players for a total of 10 in its opener, tied for the third-most this season, in an 8-3 victory over Lock Haven University, as KU earned a split of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) double header Friday afternoon in rainy conditions at North Campus Field.
 
The Golden Bears (4-20, 3-11) halted a four-game skid as it jumped out to an early six-run lead after two innings of game one against the Bald Eagles (13-15-1, 6-8), and allowed all three runs in just one inning of play.
 
Tanner Miller (Elizabethville, Pa./Upper Dauphin) and Mike Villa (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) each had three hits and an RBI on the day. Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua), Zach Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) and Jake Augustus (Schnecksville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) all finished Friday with two hits. Miller and Moretski lead the team with 23 hits on the year, followed closely by Rottet with 22. Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Jacoby Pate (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) and Brandon Heere (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) all collected a hit a piece throughout the day.
 
Doug Conrad (West Chester, Pa./Downingtown West) went the distance in the opener, throwing a complete game, allowing just three hits and an earned run, as he pitched a season-high seven innings to earn his second victory on the year.
 
Kutztown will take on Lock Haven on the road tomorrow for two games beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Kutztown 8, Lock Haven 3
 
The one-through-three batters in the lineup: Villa, Miller and Rottet combined for seven hits and the top-five batters, including Lafferty and Moretski, all collected at least one base-knock.
 
Miller had a career-high game, going 3-for-3 for three runs scored, with the three hits and three runs both career-highs for the redshirt-junior. Villa was 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored, and Rottet was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored to pace the Maroon and Gold offense.
 
Miller created the first run of the game. After a one-out single, he moved to second on a base hit by Rottet, then found himself on third, moving over on a fly out from Lafferty. With two outs, Miller raced home on a passed ball to put Kutztown on the board first, 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
 
KU took control of the game in the next inning, having six batters reach base safely and posting four hits total in the frame. Pate tripled down the right field line to bring in Jeff Charles (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) for the first of five runs in the second. Pate and Jeff Zebrowski (Chester Springs, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) both crossed home plate after a Villa double, and then Rottet and Lafferty both picked up RBI to cap off the second-highest scoring inning this season for KU.
 
Lock Haven chipped away with a three-run fourth inning, but its momentum didn't last long as Kutztown answered with two more in the bottom-half. Moretski singled to center scoring Miller, and then Rottet came around on a throwing error by the center fielder attempting to throw out Miller at the plate.
 
Conrad cruised the rest of the way, sitting down nine of the next 10 Lock Haven batters to secure the win.
 
Lock Haven 7, Kutztown 3
 
Kutztown led two different times early in the game, scoring two runs in the first after Lock Haven opened up with a run in the top of the first, and then also broke a 2-2 deadlock with a run in the bottom of the second.
 
But the Bald Eagles were consistent at the plate, scoring in each of the first four innings, and then two more in the seventh, while recording 12 hits to salvage a split at Kutztown.
 
Miller had a sacrifice fly and Moretski tallied a run-scoring single for KU's two runs in the bottom of the first.
 
In the second, Heere doubled home Augustus, but that would be the final scoring of the game for Kutztown.
 
Lock Haven got a complete game effort out of their starting pitcher Scott Leitholf, who gave up just the three runs on five hits.