ATHENS, W. Va. – The Kutztown University baseball team traveled to West Virginia on Saturday, taking part in the first two games in a three-game set against the Concord (W. Va.) Mountain Lions in a non-conference meeting at Anderson Field.
The Golden Bears (2-3 overall) got its first look at the Mountain Lions (5-7) in a challenging, 9-1 defeat in the opening game. The visiting squad, however, would get revenge by snapping its opponent's three-game winning streak while putting together one of its best all-around offensive showings of the year in the two-run, late-game victory.
In topping Concord, the Golden Bears defeated a team that recorded double-digit run outputs in three victories prior to the Kutztown series while boasting a squad of weekly award winners from the National College Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA). While doing so, KU snapped a four-game skid against the Mountain Lions in its all-time season series (in meetings since 2001), one that KU now leads 10-6.
Game 1: Concord 9, Kutztown 1
A pair of multi-run opening innings allowed the Mountain Lions to jump in front early, roughing up starter
Kannon Zdimal (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) (L, 1-1) in his second outing of the young season. He rebounded nicely to limit Concord to a pair of shutout innings to follow, but the needed damage was done as Kutztown couldn't recover.
The elder Zdimal brother fired 85 pitches and struck out a pair, allowing just five hits on the afternoon. Zach Wertman relieved him and finished the game after 38 pitches.
Kutztown's lone run came on
Owen Rector's (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford) sacrifice fly in the third inning to bring across
Joel Bonner (Hulmeville, Pa./Neshaminy), who leads the team with eight total bases while having a 1.375 on-base plus slugging (OPS) mark that is second on the team.
The Hulmeville, Pa., native's hit was one of just three on the afternoon for KU, who struggled to silence Kaden Varela-Payne, as the reigning NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the week pitched a complete game while throwing 92 pitches and striking out nine.
Game 2: Kutztown 9, Concord 7
The nightcap turned out to be a much tighter match, as Kutztown's offense came to play in the team's second win of the year. The offensive tandem of right fielder
Jared Ferguson (Reinholds, Pa./Cocalico) (4-for-5, two RBIs) and designated hitter
Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) (3-for-5, four RBIs) kept the Golden Bears ahead throughout the entire game, while runs sent home from shortstop
Nick Varda (Columbia, Md./Atholton) put KU over the top.
The support was much appreciated for starting pitcher
Kooper Zdimal (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) (W, 1-0), who endured a rocky middle innings before exiting the game with one out in the fifth. The rookie faced a tough situation was faced with what would be the start of a four run frame for the Mountain Lions, but left the game with one out while leaving Kutztown in a solid position to finish things off.
Concord's first run from the second inning was followed by a third-inning Ferguson RBI double, before CU bounced back with a trio of runs for a two-run lead. Kutztown didn't hesitate long thereafter, shooting a pair of singles to bring home a combined three fourth-inning runs and go up by one.
The teams each had four-run innings in their respective fifth frames, with Kutztown's coming by way of a sacrifice fly and a pair of doubles. With Concord remaining one run back heading into the seventh inning, a Varda sacrifice fly would give the Golden Bears an extra run of cushion, serving as the topping of its two-run win.
To protect the pitching end of things, junior righty
Logan Woodward (Furlong, Pa./Germantown Academy) hurled his second save across 2.2 innings, throwing 52 pitches and striking out three while earning no runs on the afternoon.
Kutztown finished the second game with nine hits on ten runs and an error, while Concord had seven runs on nine hits and an error of its own.
The pair face off in one more contest at Anderson Field at noon tomorrow, March 1, before embarking on a trio of series across ten days to open its 2026 home slate, starting with a Wednesday doubleheader opening day against Lincoln (Pa.) on March 4, with first pitches scheduled at noon and 2:30 p.m. at North Campus Field.
