Box Scores
L 8-1
W 6-5

Photo Gallery

EAST STROUDSBURG - Redshirt junior second baseman Jay Young had a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning for the go-ahead run as No. 11-ranked East Stroudsburg University rallied for a 6-5 win in the nightcap and a doubleheader split vs. Kutztown in PSAC East baseball on Saturday afternoon at Mitterling Field.

ESU (22-4, 6-2) split this weekend's series with Kutztown (12-15, 3-5), winning 13-0 in the first game Thursday at Kutztown, then falling 6-1 Thursday and 8-1 in the first game Saturday before securing the split.

The Warriors scored three runs on three hits and an error in the bottom of the sixth after Kutztown took a 5-3 lead with three runs in the top half of the inning.

Redshirt sophomore left-hander Dan Woodley got the Warriors out of the sixth, then threw a double-play ground ball after a hit batter in the seventh to seal the victory.

Kutztown's Matt Swarmer threw a three-hitter in a complete game effort in the opener on Saturday.

ESU held its annual Military Appreciation Day, which featured the recognition of active duty and retired military personnel during the national anthem and three first pitches - ESU junior Fran McMenamin (offensive lineman on football team - two tours of duty in Afghanistan with U.S. Marines), Kutztown junior pitcher Kurtis Hultz (member of national guard) and Harold Reichwein (brother-in-law of ESU senior pitcher Cody Klinger - three tours of duty in Iraq with U.S. Army as staff sergeant).

The Warriors will play two non-conference games this week - Tuesday vs. Philadelphia U and Wednesday at LIU Post - before taking on No. 3-ranked Millersville (23-2, 7-1) next weekend.

GAME 1 - L 8-1

A solo homer by redshirt junior OF Robert Bennie, his eighth of the year, in the third inning accounted for ESU's only run as Swarmer held the Warriors to seven baserunners on three hits and four walks.

KU took a 2-0 lead in the first and added two in the fourth, one in the fifth and sixth and two more in the seventh.

Alec O'Dell was 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI for the Golden Bears.

GAME 2 - W 6-5

ESU twice fought back from a two-run deficit to earn the split and improve to 6-2 in the PSAC East, following a four-game sweep vs. Bloomsburg last weekend.

Kutztown scored two runs on three hits in the top of the first inning, but the Warriors responded with two runs in the bottom half as junior OF Ian Allen drew a one-out walk, Bennie singled, redshirt senior 3B Drew Hercik had an RBI single and Bennie scored following a pair of wild pitches.

ESU took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth, scratching out a run without a hit when sophomore OF Christian Rishel walked, redshirt junior OF Casey Saverio was hit by a pitch, the runners advanced on a wild pitch and Rishel scored on an RBI groundout by sophomore catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr.

Senior Brandon Holup (5.1 IP, 5 runs, 7 hits, 5 strikeouts) held Kutztown to two runs through five innings, but was hit for three runs on four hits in the top of the sixth. Woodley entered with a 5-3 deficit and runners on second and third with one out, but got an out at home plate on a ground ball and a fly ball to center to end the threat.

Redshirt senior 1B Matt Walewski had a leadoff double to start the bottom of the sixth, moved to third on a flyout by Rishel and scored when Saverio reached on a throwing error by the second baseman to make the score 5-4.

Following the second out of the inning, junior SS Billy Sablinski had a key ground-rule double, putting runners on second and third, and Young produced a line-drive single up the middle to plate the tying and go-ahead runs.

Woodley put the tying run on base with one out in the seventh, hitting leadoff hitter Bo Rottet, but got Brady McNab to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the afternoon.

Young was 2-for-4 with two RBI at the top of the order and Sablinski was 2-for-3 with a run at the bottom of the order for the Warriors.

GAME NOTES
* ESU hit .257 with a .362 on-base percentage and .321 slugging percentage in the series after entering the week ranked 2nd in DII in batting (.386), 1st in on-base percentage (.490) and 2nd in slugging percentage (.622).
* The Warriors entered the series ranked 2nd in DII in runs per game (11.9).

* Young (6-for-13, 2B, 6 RBI) was ESU's top hitter in the 4 games. Saverio and Bennie had 4 hits each and Hercik reached base 6 times on 2 hits and 4 walks.

* R-Sr. RHP Matt Festa improved to 6-0 in 6 starts with a 3-hit shutout (1st career shutout) in ESU's 13-0 win in game 1 on Thursday.