KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The Kutztown University baseball team (7-4) opened the 2023 home slate at North Campus Field with an impressive offensive display, downing non-conference opponents Chestnut Hill (1-9) 16-11 in windy and cold conditions Tuesday afternoon.
Kutztown's bats came to play, registering 16 hits, with eight of KU's nine starters getting a hit against the Griffins' pitching staff in the win. Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown), Antonio Rossillo (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge), and Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) highlighted the offensive show, hitting a home run each in the win. The windy and cold conditions caused trouble for both teams defensively, as the teams combined for eight errors.
Martini was massive at the plate, going 3-for-6 with five RBI, finishing a double short of the cycle. Moretski went 2-for-5 with four RBI. Peers and Rossillo both ended with two RBI each, while Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley) and Joey Pettinelli (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) had an RBI each. Brian Finn (Warrington, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) and Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) both also had multi-hit games.
On the mound Michael Lennon (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) got the start for the Golden Bears, but was replaced by Cody Barberio (Green Lane, Pa./Quakertown) in the third inning. Barberio went 4.0 innings, only allowing two hits while striking out four. He earned the win while Ben Bradt took the loss for Chestnut Hill.
Moretski started the scoring in the first inning with an RBI double to make it 1-0. Peers then hit KU's first home run of the game to make it 3-0. Chestnut Hill responded in the top of the second, plating four runs on five hits to take the lead.
The Griffins' advantage didn't last long, as KU put three more runs across the plate with RBI from Kerley, Martini, and Moretski to make it 6-4 KU after two. Barberio then took the bump in the top of the third and put Chestnut Hill down 1-2-3. The Golden Bears exploded for four more runs in the bottom of the third. Rossillo hit KU's second long ball of the day, followed by a Pettinelli double and a Martini two-run homer, which made it 10-4 Golden Bears after three.
Both teams went scoreless in the fourth before Chestnut Hill put a run across in both the fifth and sixth inning. Morestski responded with his two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to restore KU's six run lead. Chestnut Hill did not go away, putting together a four-run seventh inning to cut the lead to 12-10. Despite that, KU responded yet again and put up four runs of its own to make it 16-10.
The Griffins could only muster up one more run in the top of the 8th, but a strong ninth inning on the mound from Dalton Geiger (Leesport, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) shut down Chestnut Hill as KU held on for the 16-11 win.
The Golden Bears improve to 7-4 on the season and have beaten Chestnut Hill in the three matchups dating back to 2021. Before that, the Griffins had won six straight games against KU.
KU is back in action this Saturday, Marrch 11 at North Campus Field in a double header against Lincoln (PA). That doubleheader will start at noon.
