KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The Kutztown University baseball team (16-9, 3-3 PSAC East) split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover doubleheader against IUP (9-13, 3-1 PSAC West) Tuesday afternoon at North Campus Field.
The Golden Bears came out on fire in game one, taking the game 10-2. The win extended KU's winning streak to six games at the time and was its first win over IUP since 2017. The Crimsons Hawks bounced back in game two, winning 9-2.
The Golden Bears are back in PSAC East action this weekend with a series against Bloomsburg. Game one of the series will take place at North Campus Field on Friday, March 31 at 2 p.m. The teams will then meet in Bloomsburg for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 1. Those games are set to start at noon.
Game 1: Kutztown 10, IUP 2
KU's bats got going early, chasing the IUP starter after only a third of an inning. Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) got the scoring going with a two-RBI double to make it 2-0. Next up was Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley), who continued his hot streak at the plate with a two-run homer to make it 4-0 Golden Bears. A Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) RBI single capped off a five-run first inning for KU.
Run number six came in the bottom of the second via a solo shot from Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge), which was his team-leading fifth of the season. IUP cut the lead to 6-1 half an inning later thanks to back-to-back doubles. That was the only run that KU's starter Tyler Cleveland (Pillow, Pa./Upper Dauphin) would give up. Cleveland, who earned his third win of the season, went six innings and only allowed four hits while striking out three.
Peers knocked home his third run of the game in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-1. The Golden Bears grew their lead with a three-run bottom of the sixth. Kerley registered his third RBI of the game, which scored Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) to make it 8-1. An error, followed by a Cole Regn (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional) single extended the lead further to 10-1.
The Crimison Hawks scored a consolation run in the top of the seventh, but relief pitcher Gavin Grande (Newtown Square, Pa./Malvern Prep) shut the door to secure the 10-2 KU win.
Game 2: IUP 9, Kutztown 2
The script was flipped in game two, as IUP scored seven unanswered runs in the first five innings to take the game 9-2.
The Golden Bears didn't get a hit or a run until the fifth inning. Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) broke up the no hitter with a single to start the frame. He then scored via a wild pitch with two outs to make it 7-1. A fielders choice an inning later then made it 7-2 in favor of IUP. The Crimson Hawks squashed any hope of a comeback in the top of the seventh, plating the final two runs to make it 9-2.
Paul Tripi of IUP took the win on the mound, while Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) took the loss for KU. Trevor Leverington (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) and Dalton Geiger (Leesport, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) both saw relief action for the Golden Bears.
