KUTZTOWN, Pa. --Â Freshman
Kannon Zdimal (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) was thrown into the biggest moment of his college career and he delivered big time, leaving the bases juiced en route to his first career save as the Kutztown University baseball team (8-14, 2-4 PSAC East) earned a massive 5-4 victory in game two of a doubleheader split against No. 6 Millersville (19-5, 9-1 PSAC East) Friday afternoon at North Campus Field.
The Golden Bears went toe-to-toe with Millersville in both games. The Marauders entered the day ranked sixth in the NCBWA poll and second in the ABCA Division II poll. The Golden Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game one but allowed a run in the sixth and seventh frame as KU fell 4-3. In game two, Kutztown led 5-0 heading into the final two innings, but Millersville made it a one-run game before Zdimal's heroics.Â
The game two victory handed Millersville its first conference loss of the year and snapped a 16-game winning streak dating back to 2018. Going off the NCBWA poll, it's the highest-ranked win for KU since it defeated No. 6 Millersville back on March 24, 2017. It's the second time the Golden Bears have bested a ranked opponent in 2024, with the other one coming against No. 15 West Chester on March 11.Â
Due to rain, the Golden Bears and Marauders will wrap up the series with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 24. First pitch in game one is set for 1 p.m.Â
Game 1: Millersville 4, Kutztown 3
The Golden Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead and lead entering the sixth inning, but Millersville plated a run in the sixth and seventh innings to walk away 4-3 winners.Â
Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) started things in the first frame, knocking home Bo Barthol (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) with an RBI single to make it 1-0. A sac fly from Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) two batters later scored Martini to make it 2-0. Mark McNelly plated Millersville's first runs of the game in the top of the third via a two-RBI single to tie the game at two. Martini added another RBI in the next half-inning with a sac fly to regain KU the lead.
Both teams were scoreless until the sixth frame. Justin Taylor tied the game with a sac bunt to make it 3-3. Then in the top of the seventh, McNelly knocked home his third RBI of the game with a sac fly to give Millersville its first lead of the game. KU couldn't respond, going down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning at the Marauders held on for the 4-3 win.Â
Cole Regn (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional) went a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish, while Barthol had two hits. Martini ended with two RBI while Wolff had one. Despite taking the loss, Jake Skrocki (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) had a solid outing, allowing eight hits and three earned runs while striking out three. Carson Kulina earned the win for Millersville.
Game 2: Kutztown 5, Millersville 4
Game two looked firmly in KU's hands until the final two innings. The Golden Bears exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third. Martini added his third RBI of the afternoon, scoring Barthol with an RBI double to make it 1-0. Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley) and Wolff hit back-to-back RBI singles in the next two at-bats to make it 3-0. Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) capped things off with another RBI single to score Wolff and make it 4-0 after three. Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) extended the lead to 5-0 with a sac fly in the bottom of the fourth.
Paul Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) was throwing his best game of the season, keeping the Marauder offense to one hit until the top of the sixth. McNelly recorded another RBI on a groundout to make it 5-1, followed by an RBI single from Sam Morris to make it 5-2.
In the top of the seventh, Millersville quickly loaded the bases with no outs. Keegan Soltis popped up to second base for the first out of the inning, but back-to-back walks quickly made things 5-4. Then entered the freshman Zdimal, who got Morris to foul out for out number two. Then at the next at-bat, the Morgantown native forced a groundout to second base for the third and final out as KU held on for the 5-4 win.
Bathol, Burns, and Kerley all registered two hits in the game, with Burns and Kerely having an RBI each. Martini, Wolff, and Proietto had an RBI each. Moretski earned his second wind of the season, allowing only three hits and two earned runs in 5.2 innings of action. Zdmial earned the save, while Tyler Cleveland (Pillow, Pa./Upper Dauphin) and Abel Saft (Kintnersville, Pa./Moravian Academy) saw action in relief. Colby Gromlich took the loss for Millersville.Â
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