LHU Baseball splits Sunday doubleheader with Kutztown

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: March 20, 2022

Courtesy of Lock Haven Athletics

The LHU baseball team fell in extra innings in game one, but rebounded for a resounding win in game two.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University baseball team (7-13, 1-5 PSAC East) dropped Sunday’s opener, but responded with a big 8-1 win in game two versus Kutztown University (6-13, 3-1 PSAC East) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader at Watkins Field.

Game 1: L, 5-4

The game was quiet in the opening innings, but in the top of the third Kutztown put up 3 runs to take a 3-0 lead. Lock Haven notched a run in the bottom of the fourth when Blaise Zeiders (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) found a gap for an RBI single up the middle driving in Justin Lichtenwalner (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) to cut the Golden Bears advantage to 3-1.

Lock Haven got the bats going in the bottom the sixth when Jake Mastillo (Roaring Brook Twp, Pa./North Pocono) hit a line drive into the gap in the outfield to double and drive in Lichtenwalner from second. Joe Shannon (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent (Mercer CC)) followed with a single, and a Kutztown error allowed Mastillo to score and slice the lead to 4-3.

Zach Kaatz (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) tied things up at 4-4 with an RBI single to right field and the two teams headed for extra innings. Kutztown notched a run in the top of the ninth and held on for the 5-4 win.

Game 2: W, 6-1

Kutztown started quick and took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Gavin Troutman (Boyertown, Pa./Oley Valley) walked in the bottom half of the first inning and Mastillo hit a double off the left field fence to tied the game 1-1.

In the second, Garrett Nepert (Preston, Md./Colonel Richardson (Chesapeake County CC)) launched a home run over right field giving the Bald Eagled their first lead of the day 2-1. The very next inning, Kaatz put an RBI single through the left side to put LHU on top 3-1

In the bottom of the fourth, Lock Haven blew the lead open when Troutman found the outfield for an RBI single. Mastillo added to the lead with a two-run home run to put LHU ahead 6-1.

In the sixth, Shannon added to the lead with an RBI triple to score Mastillo. Later in the inning, Zeiders picked up another RBI to round out the scoring as LHU picked up the convincing 8-1 win.

Kevin Worek (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Abington) had a great day on the mound only allowing one run in five innings of work against the Golden Bears. Worek collected seven strikeouts and only allowed three hits.

Next Up:

The Bald Eagles are back in action on Friday, March 25^th against Millersville at 2 p.m. for a nine-inning game.