LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. --The Kutztown University baseball team's (10-5) bats came to play Wednesday afternoon, as the Golden Bears earned a doubleheader split against Lincoln (Pa.) (2-11-1) on the road.
KU captured game one 20-10, before narrowly falling 14-13 in game number two. The Golden Bears take three of four from Lincoln after sweeping them in a doubleheader over the weekend.
KU opens PSAC East play this weekend with a three-game series against Millersville, which boasts an impressive 18-4 record early in the campaign. Game one will be on the road on Friday, March 17, at 2 p.m. The teams then return to North Campus Field for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 18. That will start at noon.
Game 1: Kutztown 20, Lincoln 10
The Golden Bear offense was firing on all cylinders, scoring five or more runs in three innings en route to a 20-10 victory over the Lions. It's the first time KU scored 20 runs in a game since a 28-13 victory over East Stroudsburg on March 30, 2021.
KU put six runs across the plate in the top of the first, followed by a seven-run third inning, which made it 13-1 after three frames. Two more runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth inning extended the lead to 20-2. Lincoln found some offense down the stretch, plating eight runs across the final two innings, but KU's advantage was too much to overcome as the Golden Bears won 20-10.
Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) had himself a game, going 4-for-4 at the plate with six RBI. Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) also had a monster game at the plate, as he went 3-for-6 with four RBI.
Cole Regn (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional), Antonio Rossillo (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood), and Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) all had multi-RBI games. Regn, Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge), and Brennan Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) all had multi-hit games for the Golden Bears. Joey Pettinelli (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) showed great discipline at the plate, as he registered three walks. Freshman Ryan Maloney (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) also made his second collegiate appearance, coming in as a pinch hitter and catcher later in the game.
On the bump, Cody Barberio (Green Lane, Pa./Quakertown) got the start and went three innings, striking out three while allowing four hits and one earned run. Tyler Cleveland (Pillow, Pa./Upper Dauphin) came in relief and allowed two hits while striking out three in two innings of action. He earned the win, the first of his collegiate career, while Jaden Randolph took the loss for Lincoln.
Game 2: Lincoln 14, Kutztown 13
The Golden Bears were able to erase a six-run deficit, but ultimately fell 14-13 in a thrilling back-and-forth contest in game two of the doubleheader.
Despite a three-run top of the first inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley) and a two-RBI triple from Brennan Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford), Lincoln's offense started the game on fire. The Lions plated nine runs on seven hits to take a 9-3 lead after one inning.
The Golden Bears quickly cut it to a one-run lead in the next half-inning. Reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week and NCBWA Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) hit a three-run home run, his fourth of the season, to make it 9-6. A fielder's choice and a Lincoln error quickly made it 9-8 after only two innings.
KU momentarily tied it up in the top of the third off a Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) RBI double, before Lincoln captured the lead right back in the bottom half of the frame. Rozich's first collegiate home run tied the game back up at 10 in the top of the fourth. The Golden Bears took their first lead of the game off an RBI single from Kerley, couple with an error, which made it 12-10 KU after five.
The Lions responded again in the bottom of the sixth, plating four runs to take back the lead and make it 14-12 heading into the final inning. Wolff scored his second run of the game to make things interesting in the top of the seventh, but Conner Jones of Lincoln got the final three outs and secured the 14-13 win for the Lions.
Wolff was solid at the plate yet again, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. Along with his home run, Martini also notched another hit and scored three runs. Rozich ended the game 2-for-4 with three RBI to accompany his first career home run. Kerley and Cole Regn (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional) were the other Golden Bears with a multi-hit game.
On the bump, Michael Lennon (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) got the start for Kutztown but was replaced by Gavin Grande (Newtown Square, Pa./Malvern Prep), who went a solid three innings, allowing three hits while striking out four. Trevor Leverington (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) saw some action, along with Dalton Geiger (Leesport, Pa./Schuylkill Valley), who ultimately took the loss for Kutztown. Jones, who closed the game out, earned the win for Lincoln.
