LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team opened its conference season Friday afternoon with a two-game split at Lock Haven University, losing game one, 3-2, on a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh, but bounced back in game two, winning 8-6.
 
Kutztown (5-1 overall, 1-1 PSAC) showed off some pop at the plate, connecting on five homeruns in the two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference games, scoring eight of ten runs from the long ball.
 
Both Golden Bears starting pitchers, Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) and Matt Ziminkski, had strong starts Friday throwing five innings apiece, only allowing five earned runs combined in both games.
 
The Golden Bears and Bald Eagles will meet again on the diamond tomorrow, Saturday, March 13, this time at North Campus Field. First pitch of game one is slated for 12 p.m. It is the home-opener for KU.
 
Lock Haven 3, Kutztown 2
 
In game one the Golden Bears got out to an early lead in the top of the second inning. Ethan Martini (Feasterville-Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) singled with one out, then stole second base before being driven in by a Jacoby Pate (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) double.
 
The Bald Eagles answered in the bottom of the third scoring two runs on three hits taking a 2-1 lead. They would hold the lead until the top of the fifth due to strong pitching.
 
In the top of the fifth the Maroon and Gold would tie the game up, 2-2, with Gavin Moretski's (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) first homerun of his career.
 
The game would stay tied until the bottom of the seventh when Lock Haven would eventually walk it off with a single to score the winning run.
 
Kevin Worek earned the win for Lock Haven, his first of the season, and Jake Skrocki (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) takes his first loss of the season.
 
Kutztown 8, Lock Haven 6
 
The Golden Bears bounced back after their first loss of the season scoring their first run of the game in the top of the second with a Martini homerun, his third of the season.
 
Lock Haven would answer in the bottom of the third after two Golden Bear errors and one hit bringing in one run to tie the game.
 
Kutztown wasted no time answering in top of the fourth. Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) started the inning with a double to right field with one out in the inning. Mitch Peers came to the plate with two outs and hit his second homerun of the season to bring in Bishop and give KU a 3-1 lead.
 
The Bald Eagles would cut their deficit to one in the bottom of the fourth after scoring an unearned run after an error, wild pitch, and a sac fly.
 
The Golden Bears extended their lead with a big top of the fifth, scoring four runs on three hits. Proietto would lead off the inning with a single to left, and would eventually round the bases following some wild pitches by the Lock Haven pitcher. The next two batters for the Maroon and Gold would walk, then following a sacrifice bunt, Antonio Rossillo (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood) hit his second homerun of the year making the score 7-2.
 
After a clean bottom of the fifth the Golden Bears would score one more run in the top of the sixth on a Proietto homerun, his first on the year.
 
Lock Haven would go on to score four runs in the next two innings, but senior relief pitcher, Zach Peters (Lititz, Pa./Warwick), would come in to through the last 1.1 innings and close the game out for the Golden Bears.
 
Ziminsky recorded his second win of the year and Peters earned his first save on the season. Lock Haven pitcher Kyler Mellot is responsible for the loss.