KUTZTOWN, Pa. - - Unearned runs in the fourth and the seventh innings hurt the Wilmington University baseball team, as they dropped a 5-4 decision to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper No. 25 Kutztown on Tuesday, evening the season series against the nonconference opponent.
In a back and forth contest, Wilmington (18-13 overall) tied the game in the fourth with a single run, but Kutztown (22-9 overall) came back with a run in the fourth and picked up another run in the seventh to hold off the visiting Wildcats.
Wilmington took their only lead in the top of the third as Brandon Payne started the inning off with the team's first hit, a single to center, to set up the two run inning. BJ Janney slapped a single to left field to score Payne, tying the game at 1-1. With Janney on third, Joe Harbach pulled a double down the right field line for the go-ahead RBI.
Kutztown came back and reclaimed the lead with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning, however, off Wildcats starter Rob Gore.
Jordan Oncay led off the top of the fourth with a walk and advanced to third as Bryan Miller laid down a sacrifice bunt. Frank Samluk made it back-to-back bunts, scoring Oncay from third to tie the game 3-3 with the squeeze.
But the Golden Bears retaliated with a run of their own off reliever Ray Gambone in the fourth, this time taking the lead for good on the day. The inning started with an error, as the first two hitters reached on bunt attempts. Sean McCormick moved to third on a fly ball to center and scored the eventual game-winner on a squeeze play on the first pitch to Brandon Schurr. The Bears would tack on another unearned run in seventh for the 5-3 lead.
Wilmington attempted a late game come back, as Harbach scored on an Oncay double with two outs in the eighth , but Miller struck out to end the inning.
The Wildcats threatened to tie the game in the ninth, as Payne smacked a one-out triple to right center, putting the tying run 90 feet from home. But Golden Bear reliever Jason Henderson got back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat and the ballgame.
Janney extended his hitting streak to nine consecutive games by going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Harbach, named the CACC Player of the Week today, connected safely in his sixth straight game, also finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Payne also collected two hits, including his first triple of the season.
Gambone fell to 0-2 on the season after giving up the one unearned run in three innings. Gore went the first three innings in the start, giving up three runs on six hits.
Wilmington returns home tomorrow as they play another PSAC East opponent in Mansfield at Wilson Field. The first game of the nonconference doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.