LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team traveled to Central Pennsylvania to face a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opponent in a midweek, non-conference contest, coming out on the winning end of an 8-7 battle with the Lock Haven Bald Eagles on Wednesday afternoon at Watkins Field.
The Golden Bears (13-14, 4-8 PSAC East) found itself in a scrappy battle with both offenses coming out swinging, and while the Bald Eagles (5-24, 1-10 PSAC West) were able to control a large part of the game with its bullpen game pitching approach to the nine inning contest, Kutztown found a way to steal a win with its late game heroics.
Things started off with leadoff man
Bo Barthol (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) reaching base early and making a quick move to get into scoring position with no outs. A
Cam Burr (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) double put the Golden Bears ahead, but a response from LHU knotted things at one run apiece.
The Maroon and Gold picked its efforts back up next inning, when
Dalton Furst (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) reached to lead off the inning and made his way around the basepaths, scoring on a
Preston Warne (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) sacrifice fly. After a walk put runners on first and second, Barthol got back to work and sent a three-run blast over the right field wall to create a four-run KU lead.
Lock Haven responded with a pair of three-run innings in the third and fourth innings, and beyond that, both teams' pitching staffs held strong through the fifth, sixth and seventh frames.
The top of the eighth inning turned out to be the determining factor of the afternoon, as Kutztown's offense loaded the basepaths with two outs on the board and redshirt sophomore
Bryce Schafer (Kempton, Pa./Kutztown) coming to the plate. A .293 hitter a season ago, the first baseman cleared the bases with a single to right field, scoring a pair and enabling a third to score on a throwing error for the go-ahead run.
Closer
Jeremy Fallon (Souderton, Pa./Souderton) (SV, 3) came into the game for
Colten Mathias (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) (W, 1-0), and struck out three to secure the game and help his predecessor secure his first career win after pitching three innings and allowing just two hits.
Barthol and Schafer led the offensive attack with two hits apiece and six of the team's eight runs batted in. Barthol and Furst came home for a pair of runs each, while
Owen Rector (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford) reached base twice on walks. Additionally, shortstop
Nick Varda's (Columbia, Md./Atholton) sixth-inning single marked his 100th collegiate hit, coming at his time both at Kutztown and in his stint at Frederick Community College.
The losing Bald Eagle pitcher ended up being reliever Evan Schmelz (L, 0-2), who allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits while getting just two outs as the sixth of eight LHU pitchers. Starter Dylan McKenna went a pair of innings, allowing five runs on five hits in defeat.
The Golden Bears are back in action this Friday, April 10, at North Campus Field, where they will host the Shepherd Rams in a PSAC East doubleheader. First pitch times are set for 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. The Rams and Golden Bears compete in the second leg of their regular season series the following day, with 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. games on Saturday at Fairfax Field in Shepherdstown, W. Va.
