MANSFIELD, Pa. – Kutztown bats combined for 25 hits, including six home runs and 11 extra base hits, and scored 17 runs Saturday in taking care of Mansfield in both games of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division doubleheader at Helen Lutes Field.
Â
The Golden Bears (26-17 overall, 14-10 PSAC) won game one 8-3 and defeated the Mounties 9-0 in six innings in the second game to improve their win streak to four games.
Â
Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) hit two home runs on the day and went 4-for-5 with five RBIs and scored two runs in the two games.
Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) was 4-for-6 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored.
Alexa Stevens (Covington Township, Pa./North Pocono) and
Sarah Harvat (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) also hit long balls, both coming in game two. Stevens also had four RBIs.
Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) combined to go 4-for-8 at the plate with three runs scored and three RBIs.
Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) finished with five hits in eight at-bats.
Â
The starting pitchers,
Natalee Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union) and
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg), limited Mansfield to just eight hits and three runs all day.
Â
Kutztown is set to make up Friday's postponed doubleheader at Bloomsburg, now tomorrow, Sunday, April 21, with game one beginning at 1 p.m.
Â
Kutztown 8, Mansfield 3
Â
The Kutztown lineup mashed 13 hits, including six extra-base hits, which matched Mansfield's total number of hits in the game (six). Hughes and Henn, who each finished with three hits and two RBIs, both recorded home runs and a double each to lead the way, while Geesey and Harvat also had doubles.
Â
Kutztown took control of the game early on with seven runs in the top of the second and third innings combined, highlighted by a five-run second. Hughes and Henn had their HRs in that second, while Darnowski added an RBI single. In the two-run third,
Hannah Reimel (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) and Harvat both picked up RBIs.
Â
Stevens rounded out the scoring for KU with a run-scoring single up the middle for her team's eighth run.
Â
Harvey, who won her 11th game of the season, threw a complete game, allowing three runs and six hits, while striking out five.
Â
Kutztown 9, Mansfield 0 (6 inn.)
Â
It was looking like the game was going to come down to the very end, with the score tied 0-0 heading into the fifth inning. Even after KU scored the game's opening run on a Darnowski solo home run, it was just 1-0 going into the sixth.
Â
That's when things erupted for the Maroon and Gold bats, to the tune of eight hits and nine batters reaching safely as they hit around and brought around eight runs to end the game early. Hughes hit her second long ball of the day and both Harvat and Stevens joined the senior in connecting for HRs in that frame. Darnowski also contributed an RBI with a double.
Â
Gravish went six strong, throwing the shutout, allowing just two hits, while striking out five batters for her 14th victory.
Â