WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team (25-18, 11-11 PSAC East) struggled in a 7-2 series-opening loss to rivals West Chester (27-15, 13-9 PSAC East) Thursday afternoon at Serpico Stadium.
The Golden Bears could only muster two runs on six hits throughout the contest, while some timely scoring from the Golden Rams gave them the edge in the contest. It's only the second loss for KU in a PSAC East series opener this season, with the other one coming against nationally-ranked Millersville.Â
West Chester got the scoring going right away in the bottom of the first, plating two runs on four hits to take the 2-0 lead. KU cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth when Antonio Rossillo (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood) singled to score Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge). The Golden Rams immediately responded in the next half-inning, putting two runs across the plate on back-to-back plate apperances to make it 4-1.
West Chester added some insurance in the later innings, plating one run in the seventh and two in the eighth to extend its advantage to 7-1. A Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) RBI double in the top of the ninth gave the Golden Bears another run, but that's all KU could get across in what ended up being a 7-2 loss.
Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown), Cole Regn (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional), Joey Pettinelli (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown), Martini, Rossillo, and Proietto were the Golden Bears to have a hit in the contest, with Rossillo and Proietto having an RBI. John DeMucci and JR Gifford had two hits each for West Chester, while Zack Miles notched two RBI.
Jake Skrocki (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) had yet another solid showing on the bump despite taking the loss. He allowed three earned runs and struck out five in seven innings pitched. Dalton Geiger (Leesport, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) also saw the mound for KU. Julian Costa earned his fifth win of the season, striking out 10 Golden Bears while only allowing five hits and one earned run.
After Thursday's result, the chase for a spot in the PSAC tournament becomes harder for the Golden Bears. KU sits one game back of fourth-place Bloomsburg, with the Huskies set to play first-place Millersville in a three-game series starting on Friday. The Golden Rams now sit third in the PSAC East, two games up on KU.Â
The Golden Bear's postseason hopes will come down to the final day of the regular season. KU and West Chester will meet tomorrow, Friday, May 5 for a doubleheader at North Campus Field starting at noon.Â
The Kutztown baseball program will also honor Dalton Geiger (Leesport, Pa./Schuylkill Valley), Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.), and Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) as a part of Senior Day. A pregame ceremony will start at approximately 11:40 a.m.Â
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