SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. – The Kutztown University baseball team traveled south for the second half of its four-game Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division series against the Shepherd Rams, and while the home team continued its roll with a 9-2 win in game one, the visitors came back in the final inning to take down the Rams, 7-6, on Saturday afternoon at Fairfax Field.
The Golden Bears (14-17, 5-11 PSAC East) had a similar second day of the series, spending the first game searching for answers while finding some strong footing as they looked for a victory against a sound Rams (24-13, 11-5 PSAC East) squad that boasts a challenging combination of offense and pitching to overcome.
Game 1: Shepherd 9, Kutztown 2
Shepherd experienced Kutztown's ability to jump on the board first in Friday's doubleheader at North Campus Field, so it decided to prepare accordingly with four runs in the first two innings. The Golden Bears were only able to respond with a run in the fourth before another five runs were sent home in the two innings that followed, and while
Jared Ferguson's (Reinholds, Pa./Cocalico) seventh-inning single took advantage of runners on the basepath, it was already too far gone for KU.
Catcher
Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) and Ferguson did lead the team's offensive efforts with two hits apiece, the latter of whom reached 100 career hits – between his stints as a student-athlete at Moravian and Kutztown Universities – on the aforementioned late-game knock.
Junior righty
Kannon Zdimal (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) (L, 4-3) matched his career-high of seven strikeouts – set earlier this year in a win over Clarion – while working through 27 batters in 4.1 innings.
Colten Mathias (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) got the final five outs on 11 pitches, allowing just two hits and no runs. Shepherd's Allen Miller (W, 4-2) went the complete game, striking out eight and allowing two runs (both earned).
The final line saw Shepherd get nine runs on nine hits, while Kutztown had two runs on eight hits with three errors.
Game 2: Kutztown 7, Shepherd 6
It was a power struggle between the two teams, with the scores tied at points in the first, second and seventh innings, but in the end, it was Kutztown who powered through, finishing off a strong comeback attempt and snapping the eight-game winning streak of Shepherd.
Ferguson stayed humming on his strong day, doubling in his first appearance of the nightcap and sending home center fielder
Bo Barthol (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland). Ferguson came home on a Burns single to center, as another Golden Bear built on a strong offensive first game and looked to carry it over to the evening.
Shepherd knew how things go, and responded in the bottom of the frame with a two-run homer, followed up with another three runs across the second and third innings to take a three-run advantage.
It wasn't until the fifth that both teams struck again, as Kutztown shortstop
Nick Varda (Columbia, Md./Atholton) came to the plate with two outs and sent his second long ball of the season over the left field fence, scoring Ferguson, who reached base earlier thanks to an infield fielding error. Shepherd would respond to build a bit of a cushion, scoring a run in the bottom of the inning to make it a two-run ballgame.
The game was decided in the seventh inning, when Kutztown took advantage of a struggling Rams bullpen to win the game. The first pitcher of the inning walked Ferguson and hit Varda, only to be replaced after not getting an out by Cooper Bryan (0-1). While able to get outs for SU, a fielder's choice kept runners on, while a flyout sent one of those runners home. He granted a pair of singles and a walk before being pulled, and while the next pitcher retired the lone batter he faced, the damage was done by the Maroon and Gold.
Jeremy Fallon (Souderton, Pa./Souderton) (SV, 4) came in for
Zack Wertman (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) (W, 2-0) in the seventh inning and was able to strike out a pair over 18 pitches. The KU pitching staff, which was headed up by starter
Eddie Frye (Lorton, Va./South County), struck out double-digit batters for the fourth time this season and the first time in nearly a month.
The Golden Bears were led on offense by Varda (1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R) and catcher
Preston Warne (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth), who went 3-for-4 and batted in the game-tying run with a single in the seventh inning.
Kutztown's winning line featured seven runs on nine hits and three errors, while Shepherd had six runs on seven hits and three errors in defeat.
The Golden Bears will return to North Campus Field on Tuesday, April 14, for a 3:00 p.m. non-conference meeting against the Albright Lions. The team will return to PSAC East play with a weekend series against Bloomsburg, as doubleheaders on Friday, April 17 (away), and Saturday, April 18 (home) are set to start at 1:00 p.m., with late games slated to start around 3:30 p.m.
