KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team returned to North Campus Field on Saturday, and while it looked to put on a show for its seniors and alumni on their respective days, it fell short in both games, 4-3 and 2-0, against the Bloomsburg Huskies in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division play.
The Golden Bears (16-20, 6-14 PSAC East) hoped to ride a wave of energy it took from winning the final game of yesterday's doubleheader, and while the pitching was able to get in line and hold down their end, the Huskies (23-14, 11-9 PSAC East) did the same while putting up just enough run support to claim a pivotal series.
Game 1: Bloomsburg 4, Kutztown 3
The Golden Bears saw action both early and late in the game, but when it mattered most, Bloomsburg was able to execute and hold off KU to secure its 10th PSAC East win of the season.
Scoring got started with a pair of seniors, as
Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) singled to score shortstop
Nick Varda (Columbia, Md./Atholton) to strike first in the opening frame. Bloomsburg didn't hesitate to respond, posting three unanswered runs over the second and third innings to go up by a pair.
It wasn't until the sixth inning that either offense scored again, as an
Aiden Soumas (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood) RBI single sent home senior
Owen Rector (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford) to draw within one. Bloomsburg padded its lead with a score of its own in the seventh, and while Kutztown gave itself an ample opportunity to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning, it was only able to score one, coming up just short in the end.
Despite the loss, it hung tough with one of the best arms in the conference, as the team tacked eight hits and a pair of earned runs on BU's Aiden Murphy (W, 7-0). It also came close to opening the game up against closer Bryce Danish (SV, 1), but the three hits weren't enough.
Kannon Zdimal (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) (L, 4-4) would end up with the loss after allowing six hits over six innings and striking out four.
Varda, Burns, and
Cam Burr (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) each recorded a pair of hits on the day, with five other batters notching at least one base knock. Burns recorded two of the team's three runs, sending in Varda early and Burr late.
The final line saw Kutztown outhit Bloomsburg, 11-9, while KU ended up with an error in defeat.
Game 2: Bloomsburg 2, Kutztown 0
It was another tough go despite a solid showing from starter
Eddie Frye (Lorton, Va./South County) (L, 1-4), who held things at bay with five hits and a strikeout across six innings and 110 pitches.
However, it was in the fourth inning where Bloomsburg scored its only two runs on a pair of one-out singles – a result of a pair of leadoff walks to start the inning. Frye, along with a strong Kutztown defensive performance, held things together throughout the rest of the game, but the home team's offense was held in check by Husky starter Xander Velez (W, 3-4), who went a complete game and struck out five for the win.
Bloomsburg scored its runs on seven hits with one late-game error, while Kutztown had four hits and two errors in defeat. Four different Kutztown batters recorded a hit, while a fifth reached via walk, but nothing could drum up momentum for the Golden Bears at the dish in the nightcap.
As for the postseason outlook, Bloomsburg puts itself in control of its own destiny with the series win, and despite being in the middle of three 11-win teams (as of the end of today's game), it holds the fifth and final seed in the East Division. As for Kutztown, it now faces an uphill battle as it needs to surpass both Shippensburg and Bloomsburg to claim the fifth seed, and must do so against two playoff teams in East Stroudsburg (East No. 1) and Millersville (East No. 4).
Before it faces off with Millersville, the Golden Bears will head to New Jersey for a Tuesday afternoon meeting with Caldwell on April 21, with first pitch time set for 3 p.m. at the Kiwanis Oval. It then hosts the Friday portion of the Millersville series at North Campus Field on April 24, with first pitches set for 1:00 and 3:30 p.m.
