KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown scored early inning runs and rode the arms of a trio of pitchers for a 5-2 game two victory, bouncing back from an extra inning, 11-8 defeat in game one Saturday afternoon at North Campus Field to finish the four-game set with Pitt-Johnstown out of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division, even 2-2.
 
The Golden Bears (6-13 overall) concluded non-conference games at home for the regular season.
 
The Kutztown lineup combined for 15 hits in the two games. Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) finished 5-for-7 with an RBI and two runs scored. He was on base every at-bat in the second game, going 4-for-4. Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) had three hits, scored three runs and knocked in three runners on the day. Brennan Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) recorded two hits, one RBI and two runs scored all in game one. Bo Barthol (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) tallied two RBIs, both in the nightcap.
 
Trevor Leverington (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) started game two on the mound and threw five solid innings, allowing just two hits, two runs and striking out eight to earn his second victory of the season.
 
Kutztown is back in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play with an Eastern Divisional four-game series against Millersville. KU hosts the first two games next Friday, March 22, beginning at 1 p.m. The teams then play at Millersville the following day with a double header starting at 1 p.m.
 
Pitt-Johnstown 11, Kutztown 8 (8 inn.)
 
Kutztown had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh inning by getting the leadoff on a Burns walk. Two batters later, Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) singled to put two runners on with one out and the score tied 5-5. The two both advanced on a wild pitch to put runners at second and third with one out still.
 
But a fielder's choice to third that came home on the throw to nab the runner and then a flyout to center field ended the threat unscathed and the game went into extra innings.
 
Pitt-Johnstown took advantage in the top of the eighth to the tune of six runs on six hits and Tyler Cleveland (Pillow, Pa./Upper Dauphin), in relief of Zach Male (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford), still had to work out of a bases loaded jam to end the frame.
 
The Golden Bears, however, did not back down or fold and they brought seven runners to the plate and scored three runs on two hits. The tying run came to the plate with one out and runners at first and third, but Mountain Cats relief pitcher, Antonio Caporossi, induced an inning-ending and game-ending, ground ball double play to end the game and rally.
 
Pitt-Johnstown scored two runs in the top of the first inning and one more in the second to go on top early, 3-0. Kutztown responded in a big way with a five-run bottom of the second, highlighted by two RBIs from Martini and one each by Rozich and Joey Pettinelli (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown), sending all nine batters to the plate.
 
The Mountain Cats, then, answered with two more runs in the top of the third to tie the game 5-5.
 
Four scoreless innings would happen before the deciding eighth.
 
Rozich finished with two hits, scored two runs and accounted for an RBI. Martini recorded one hit, scored twice and had two RBIs.
 
Kutztown 5, Pitt-Johnstown 2
 
Just like it did on Friday, Kutztown bounced back from a game one defeat to take the second game.
 
It didn't start the way KU would have hoped as Pitt-Johnstown scored twice in its first at-bats on a double and home run to left field for a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Golden Bears answered by getting their first three batters on base, with a leadoff single by Martini, another single by Burns and then a walk to Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley). After the Mountain Cats recorded the next two outs, Barthol came up big with a two-out, two-run single the opposite way to left to tie the score at 2-2.
 
Leverington locked in from that point on, throwing four more scoreless innings, joined by relief pitchers Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) and Abel Saft (Kintnersville, Pa./Moravian Academy), who threw the sixth and seventh, respectively, and did not allow a run and just one hit.
 
The Maroon and Gold scored what proved to be the winning run as Martini contributed another RBI single in the bottom of the second to put his team in front 3-2. Cole Reign then worked a bases loaded walk for a 4-2 advantage. KU capped the scoring on a solo home run from Colin Kelly (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge), his second of the season.

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