KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The Kutztown University baseball team (24-15, 10-8 PSAC East) dropped both games of a doubleheader to Shippensburg (22-22, 9-12 PSAC East) in windy conditions at North Campus Field Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Bears showed great fight in game one, putting together a sixth-inning rally to tie the game and send it to extras. The Raiders were able to piece together a three-run top of the eighth to take the game 6-3. KU led in game two, but four errors cost the Golden Bears in a 7-4 loss.

The Golden Bears still sit fourth in the PSAC East with two more conference series on tap against nationally-ranked East Stroudsburg and rivals West Chester, both of who sit above KU in the standings. Bloomsburg possesses the same conference record as KU, but sits in fifth.

The Golden Bears open their series against ESU on Friday, April 28 at North Campus Field starting at 2 p.m.. The teams will then meet in East Stroudsburg the next day for a doubleheader, which starts at noon. 

Game 1: Shippensburg 6, Kutztown 3 (8)

The Raiders came out of the gate strong, putting three runs up in the top of the first to take a 3-0 lead. From that point on, KU starter Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) locked it down, keeping the Raiders off the board until he came out after six frames. 

Noah Nabholz of Shippensburg was efficient on the bump, keeping the KU bats silent to start the game. With a little bit of luck, the Golden Bears were finally able to break through in the bottom of the fourth. Brennan Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) struck out on a dropped third strike, but the Raider's catching threw the ball off his back, which allowed Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley) to score to make it 3-1. 

The Golden Bears found their offensive grove in the top of the sixth. Kerely doubled to left center field, scoring Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) to cut the lead to 3-2. Two batters later, Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) singled to left field, which scored Kerely to tie the game at three. Both teams went quiet in the seventh, sending the game to extra innings. 

The Raiders were able to restore their three-run lead in the top of the eight, scoring three runs, on three hits, and one error. Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) was able to single with one out in the home half of the inning, but that was all KU could put together as it fell 6-3. 

Peers, Kerley, and Wolff all finished with two hits each, with Kerley and Wolff having an RBI. Moretski and Joey Pettinelli (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) were the other Golden Bears to register a hit. 

Proietto allowed seven hits and three earned runs while striking out five in his six innings of action. Tyler Cleveland (Pillow, Pa./Upper Dauphin) took the loss in relief for KU, while Nabholz won for Shippensburg, throwing a complete game.

Game 2: Shippensburg 7, Kutztown 4

The Golden Bears jumped on Shippensburg starter JT Weaver early, chasing him after only 0.2 of an inning. A sac fly from Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley), followed by a Brennan Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) RBI single gave KU a 2-0 lead after one. The Raiders responded with a run of their own on a fielder's choice in the next half-inning to cut the KU lead in half. 

Another sac fly, this time from Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge), made it 3-1 in the bottom of the second. Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) followed that up an inning later with an RBI single to make it 4-1. The Raiders' offense responded in the top of the fourth with a run to make it 4-2.

Shippensburg captured the lead in the sixth inning. A sac fly and fielders choice tied the game at four, followed by an error that gave the Raiders a 5-4 lead. That was followed up by a two-RBI single to make it 7-4, a lead that Shippensburg did not surrender.

Antonio Rossillo (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood) was the only Golden Bear to record two hits in the loss. Martini, Rozich, and Wolff all had a hit and an RBI each, while Kerley recorded an RBI. Zach Male (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) took the loss for KU, allowing two earned runs in six innings of action. Eric Bohenek was awarded the win, with Austen LaBarre being credited with the save.