KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Zach Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) hit a two-run homer and younger brother Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) struck out nine over six innings as Kutztown University earned a Sunday --and weekend-- split with a 5-1 game two victory over PSAC East rival and nationally-ranked No. 25 Bloomsburg on Sunday at North Campus Field. The Huskies edged the Golden Bears in game one of the doubleheader, 7-5.

It was an overall successful weekend for the Bears against a Bloomsburg team expected to be among the conference and region's best. The Huskies came into the four-game series ranked second in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll, receiving one first-place vote. The Bears, who were picked eighth in the PSAC East Preseason Poll, have outdone those projections to this point and held the region's No. 9 spot.

Kutztown very well could have taken 3-of-4, if not for a late spurt in game one by the Huskies. The Golden Bears had rallied from 4-0 down to take a 5-4 lead on Antonio Rossillo's (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood) PSAC-leading sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth, but Bloomsburg answered with three in the top of the sixth to regain the lead and hold on.

GAME 1
#25 Bloomsburg 7, Kutztown 5

Sunday's opener had a tough start and finish for the host Golden Bears with an injection of excitement in between.

Bloomsburg scored three times in the top of the second on a wild pitch, ground out and fielder's choice and made it 4-0 with a run on a passed ball in the fourth.

Kutztown was hitless against BU starter JJ Spehrley into the fourth, when freshman Ethan Martini (Feasterville-Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) doubled to lead off the inning. That was just the spark the Maroon and Gold needed.

Andy Blum (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) eventually doubled in Martini and Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) to reach 10 RBIs on the year and Connor Teschko (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) hit a rope to center field that scored Blum to bring KU back within 4-3.

In the fifth, Rossillo smashed a 2-0 offering from reliever Nate Baranski over the left field fence to put the Bears on top, 5-4, but the lead was short-lived.

Bloomsburg put two runners on against freshman Zach Male (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) in the top of the sixth before he was spelled by Zach Peters (Lititz, Pa./Warwick). Male came into Sunday's games having allowed only two hits and no runs while striking out 12 in 6.1 innings this season. Though he struck out four more, Andrew Holmes and Carter Chasanov hit singles off Peters enabling Male's runners to score. Kyle OFier added an RBI double as Bloomsburg jumped back on top 7-5.

Kutztown got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but Baranski struck out Rossillo to end the game.

Rossillo and Blum each had two RBIs and Kutztown's seven hits came from seven different batters. Holmes and OFier led the Huskies' offense by going 2-for-4. Holmes and Chasanov had two RBIs apiece and Anthony Viggiano scored a pair of runs.

GAME 2
Kutztown 5, #25 Bloomsburg 1

Similar to Saturday's proceedings, Kutztown didn't get down on it's game one result, instead responding with authority.

The Bears (10-3, 5-3 PSAC East) turned two Bloomsburg miscues into runs in the first, before Zach Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) pumped a two-run homer to nearly the same spot Rossillo had in game one. The result was a 4-0 lead and KU was off and running.

A passed ball in the second with the bases already full brought Martini home for a 5-0 lead, providing plenty of support for starting pitcher Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.).

One of, if not, the Bears' liveliest arm, Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) mowed through the Bloomsburg (5-3, 5-3 PSAC East) lineup to gut out six innings and 101 pitches. He limited the Huskies to four hits and one run while inducing nine strikeouts along the way.

Despite allowing just three runs (two earned) and striking out an astounding 26 in 14 innings this season, Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) hadn't been able to secure that first collegiate win --until Sunday that is.

Peters again got work, this time striking out the side in the seventh as KU won for the 10th time this season.

Zach Moretski's (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) round-tripper was Kutztown's only extra-base hit. Freshman Joey Pettinelli (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) went 2-for-3 with his first career hit out of the nine hole in a game that saw limited offensive opportunities. Both teams finished with five hits.

Brandon Walters took the loss for BU in game two, though there was lots of sloppy play around him. All five runs against him were unearned in 1.2 innings. Michael Standen fared much better in his 4.1 innings of relief, striking out six and holding the Bears to two hits, but by that point, the damage had been done.

ON DECK
Kutztown returns to North Campus Field Friday to start a four-game PSAC East series with Shepherd. The doubleheader begins with first pitch of game one at noon.