SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. -- The Kutztown University baseball team dropped both ends of a PSAC East doubleheader at Shippensburg, Saturday, as the Raiders completed the series sweep of the Golden Bears with 2-0 and 7-5 victories.
Game one turned into a pitcher's duel between the Raiders' Noah Nabholz and KU's
Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) with single runs in the third and sixth innings proving to be the difference. The nightcap was a 180-degree swing with the offenses waking up, combining for 21 hits and 12 runs.
GAME 1
Shippensburg 2, Kutztown 0
Both starting pitchers went the distance in game one of the doubleheader. Kutztown's Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) allowed just five hits and one earned run while striking out six in the process. The strong outing was needed to keep the Maroon and Gold in the game.
The Golden Bears' two hits came in the top of the third inning, Colt Narciso (Norristown, Pa./Pope John Paul II) singled through the left side and Mike Kelly (Schwenksville, Pa./Pope John Paul II) followed with a bunt single. Kutztown had the bases juiced with one out in the inning, but Noah Nabholz worked his way out of the jam without allowing a run.
Shippensburg took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on two hits and an error. Leading off the inning with an infield single, Carter Hinds made his way around the bases and came in to score on a sac fly to right by Joe Barbera.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Raiders used a pair of hits to extend their lead to 2-0. Justin Byler singled through the right side, eventually scoring on a double to left field from Justin Darden.
The two runs turned out to be plenty for Nabholz, who tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out five to improve to 5-1 on the year. Proietto fell to 4-3 despite his strong outing.
GAME 2
Shippensburg 7, Kutztown 5
Kutztown jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and pulled ahead by two again in the fifth, but the hosts rallied with four unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings en route to a 7-5 victory and the series sweep.
The Golden Bears strung together three straight one-out singles from Narciso, Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) and Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) against Raider starter Gabe Stotler. Peers' knock to center scored Narciso with the game's first run.
Brandon Heere (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) came up with a clutch two-out double that plated Moretski for a 2-0 lead.
Zach Male (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford), who has pitched better than his 1-8 record indicates, kept Shippensburg (18-20, 12-6 PSAC East) off the board into the fourth inning. The Raiders' second time through their lineup proved to be much more fruitful, however.
With one run across and two outs in the fourth, Justin Darden homered to left to square the game at two.Â
Kutztown (9-25, 4-14 PSAC East) answered with two more runs in its half of the fifth. Mike Kelly (Schwenksville, Pa./Pope John Paul II) led off with a triple to left field and Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) was plunked, putting two runners aboard with two down. Peers delivered a huge two-run double to right, putting the Bears back in front 4-2.
The lead was short-lived, as Shippensburg tied it up in the bottom of the fifth on an Andrew Chronister sac fly and perfectly executed double steal of home and second by Jafari Williams and Joe Barbera.
Williams put the Raiders in front for good in the sixth, tripling in Darden and JuJu Cason for a 6-4 lead.
The Golden Bears drew within one in the top of the eighth, but got no closer. Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) doubled to center and scored on Dominic Proietto's (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) single into right. Carter Hinds provided the final margin of victory with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.
Stotler sturck out seven over five innings, but was left with a no decision after yielding four runs on seven hits. Kaleb Sophy picked up the win with two innings of scoreless relief and Jackson Lobianco locked it down in the ninth for his fourth save of the year. Male took the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits in six frames. He struck out five.
Kutztown is back in action on Wednesday, traveling out to IUP to make up a doubleheader that was washed out back on March 23. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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