GLENVILLE, W.Va. -- It was a pretty good weekend for Kutztown University pitching.
After
Zach Male (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) struck out nine Friday night against Glenville State,
Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) fanned 17 and combined with
Paul Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) on a no-hitter against Alderson Broaddus Saturday.
Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) took his turn Sunday afternoon against Fairmont State, sitting down 10 Falcons in a 7-2 win for the Golden Bears at Glenville State's Sue Morris Complex.
Kutztown came out flying with its first three batters recording hits. Center fielder
Mike Kelly (Schwenksville, Pa./Pope John Paul II) led off with a double,
Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley) singled and
Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) drove in the game's first run with a base knock to left field.
The damage could have been even worse for the Falcons (5-5) when
Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) homered to right off starter Connor Cramer with one down in the inning, but Proietto accidentally passed Peers, the trailing runner between first and second. Unfortunately, the miscue wiped out a deserved homer, but the junior from Norristown was still credited with a two-run single according to NCAA statistical rules.
Moretski thanked his offense for their support by being perfect over the first three innings. He found his groove in the second by striking out a pair of Fairmont State hitters and amped it up in the third by sitting down the side on strikes.
A Proietto single and
Mike Piscotty (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Hanover Area) double put the Bears (4-6) back in business to start the fourth and they'd eventually score three more times on a pair of Falcon errors and a
Joey Pettinelli (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) RBI single for a 6-0 lead.
Moretski struck out a pair in the fourth and two in the fifth, ultimately tying a career-high with his second 10-strikeout game. He first accomplished the feat March 13, 2021, against Lock Haven.
Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) put a stamp on the victory, leading off the sixth with his first career home run.
Abel Saft (Kintnersville, Pa./Moravian Academy) pitched a scoreless eighth and
Jake Skrocki (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) struck out the side in the ninth for Kutztown.
The Golden Bears outhit the Falcons 8-3. Proietto was the only KU batter with a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4.
Moretski gave up one run on one hit over six strong innings for the win. He's now 2-1 on the season. Cramer was knocked around for seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in six innings, though he did not issue a walk and struck out nine.
In three games this weekend, Kutztown pitching accounted for 48 strikeouts over 26 innings. For the season, the Golden Bears have struck out 110 opposing batters in 74 innings (13.4 K/9), which ranks top 10 in NCAA Division II.
Kutztown will head back to West Virginia next weekend for a three-game series at Concord. They'll play a doubleheader Saturday, followed by a single game Sunday.
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