Baseball splits with Bloom

Recap:
Saturday, March 29 vs. Bloomsburg:
Game 1: W 5-1
Darin Gorski (4-2) tossed a complete game, allowing one run on four hits en route to a 5-1 KU victory. DH James Quigley [Pictured], 1B Jared Frey, and CA Matt Kulbacki each had two hits, while SS Mike Kacelowicz has one. Quigley and LF Chad Lightcap each scored twice, while Frey knocked in a team-high two runs.

Game 2: L 0-1
The Golden Bears out-hit the Huskies 5-3, but failed to score a run and fell by a score of 1-0. Lightcap, Quigley, OF Mike Dugan, CA Scott Kacelowicz, and IF Mark Renda provided the five KU hits. Derek Reis took the loss for the Golden Bears despite allowing just one run on three hits in 5.2 innings of work.

Sunday, March 30 @ Bloomsburg:
Game 1: L 5-3
Two errors by KU allowed the Huskies to score four unearned runs in the sixth inning, propelling them to a 5-3 win. Garrison Rausch took the loss for KU, allowing five runs, one earned, one six hits in 5.1 innings. The Golden Bears managed just six hits, including a team-high two from Frey, who also scored a run. Scott Kacelowicz drove in two of KU’s three runs.

Game 2: W 10-4
The KU offense finally got rolling in Sunday’s second game, as they exploded to a 10-4 victory. Phil Rummel was on the hill for KU and allowed four runs, one earned, on nine hits in six innings of work. The Golden Bears’ offense was led by three-hit days from Quigley and Dugan. Contributing two hits a piece was Frey, Kulbacki, Rausch, and RF Corey Buletza, who also homered. Buletza drove in a team-high two runs, while Lightcap, Quigley, and Kulbacki each scored twice.

What we liked:
James Quigley was outstanding despite entering the weekend with 10 career at bats at KU. He was 7-of-15 (.467) at the plate and scored four runs. Jared Frey was 6-of-12 (.500), scored three times, and drove in three runs. Mike Dugan was 5 of-10 (.500), scored a pair of runs, and drove in two more. The catcher tandem of Scott Kacelowicz and Matt Kulbacki was also stellar, as they combined for six hits in nine at bats, as well as, four runs and two RBIs.

The pitching was much better than a 2-2 record might indicate. Each starter allowed just one earned run and all four of them (Gorski, Reis, Rausch, Rummel) lasted into the sixth inning.

What we didn’t like:
At times the offense looked extremely dull, and as you can tell from the boxscore and game recaps, it was extremely inconsistent. The Golden Bears scored four runs over two innings in game one on Saturday before getting shutout in game two. On Sunday, they broke through for three runs in the fourth inning, but that was their only run production. Then, in game two, they finally showed some consistent production, scoring at least one run in four different innings.

No complaints can be made about the stellar pitching, but there were a few players who struggled at the plate—not surprising for such a young squad. Mike Kacelowicz was just 2-of-14 (.143) at the plate and scored just once in the four games, which is unacceptable for a leadoff man. Mark Renda spends a lot of time in the two hole and was just 1-of-8 (.125) in the hitting department. The team’s best hitter Chad Lightcap bats from the three spot in the order and, although he did score four runs, he struggled to a 3-of-14 (.214) weekend at the plate. Garrison Rausch and Corey Buletza broke out in the final game of the weekend, but each managed just two hits a piece overall. Fellow freshmen Jeff Kistle and Brett Wigder combined for a 0-for-10 weekend.

Impact:
As mentioned in my preview for this series, KU needed to take at least three games from Bloomsburg. They failed to do that, but at least came away with wins in two of the four. The competition for a PSAC playoff berth will only get tougher from here, so manager Chris Blum is going to have to hope that his young team will continue to improve as the year goes on. There is no reason to believe that won’t be the case, as this is an extremely young team with loads of talent—not to mention a pitching staff that can keep them close in every game. I still think KU will sneak into the playoffs, but it’s going to be close. They will need to starting beating the team’s that are worse than them, unlike what happened this past weekend.

Softball opens East play 4-0

Note: My plan for softball and baseball season is to provide in depth previews as often as possible. I will also do full recaps for each doubleheader (or in some cases, like this one, each group of weekend games). Enjoy.

Recap:
Friday, March 28 @ Millersville:

Game 1: W 9-0
Katlin Arbogast tossed a six inning, one-hit shutout, while striking out 12 Marauders as KU cruised to a 9-0 win in six innings. The Golden Bears registered 11 hits, led by two a piece from Maria Schiavo, Ashley Fitzgerald, and Maggie Reifsnyder. Steph Denlinger, Krista Cameron, Reifsnyder, and Kathy Gregg each homered.

Game 2: W 9-0
KU completed the sweep of Millersville with another 9-0 blowout in just five innings. Mary Hoch tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout and struck out five Marauders. KU had 10 hits, including three from Caitlin Hague and two a piece from Denlinger and Cameron. Denlinger had 6 RBIs in the game, thanks to a grand slam and double.

Saturday, March 29 vs. Mansfield

Game 1: W 4-3
Arbogast took a 4-0 lead and no hitter into the sixth inning, before Mansfield rallied to three sixth-inning runs, cutting its deficit to one. Monica Glomb would then enter the game for KU and, despite allowing a bases loaded situation in the seventh, closed the door for her second save of the season. Fitzgerald registered two of KU’s four hits in the game. Cameron and Hague were responsible for the others.

Game 2: W 4-3
Schiavo hit a bases loaded, walkoff single in the bottom of the 7^th inning to propel KU to the sweep of the Mounties. KU left 14 players on base in the game, but managed 12 hits, including two a piece from Kim Morrison [pictured], Denlinger, Krista Tedjeske, and Hague. Glomb earned the win, tossing four total innings. She allowed one unearned run on four hits and struck out three.

What we liked:
To be honest, just about everything. The Golden Bears absolutely destroyed Millersville, as they allowed just four hits and outscored them 18-0 during the two game sweep. Steph Denlinger is back in her 2007 form and set the KU career RBI mark during her 8 RBI day on Friday. Caitlin Hague was a bit under the radar, but she was the teams top hitter over the weekend, going 7-for-11 at the plate, while scoring twice and knocking in two runs. Denlinger was 5-of-10 at the plate, knocked in 10 runs, and scored three times. Krista Cameron hit .417 on the weekend, contributed three RBIs, and scored twice.

The pitching was superb with Kait Arbogast carrying the load as usual. The sophomore ace went 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in her two appearances and struck out 20 batters in 11.1 innings of work. Fellow freshman Monica Glomb and Mary Hoch each earned a win and neither allowed an earned run in 13.2 combined innings.

What we didn’t like:
Kait Arbogast’s poor sixth inning in game 1 against Mansfield surely turned some stomachs, but I’m not concerned in the least. Everyone has a poor outing from time to time and it’s no secret that she’s a superstar on the mound.

My bigger concern was the production from the top of the KU lineup. Kim Morrison and Maria Schiavo are both excellent hitters and they need to produce better than they did this weekend. Morrison was just 2-of-12 (.167), while Schiavo was a bit better, going 4-of-15 (.267). Each of them drove in two runs and Schiavo did score five times. Again, they are good hitters, so I’m really not too concerned.

Impact:
The four wins move the Golden Bears (27-5), the 17^th ranked team in the division II nation, to first place in the PSAC East. Millersville and Mansfield are two of the easier teams on KU’s divisional schedule, so it’s likely to only get harder from here on in. Shippensburg is also 4-0 in the division, while Bloomsburg and West Chester are both 2-0. The Golden Bears blew out the Marauders and did what they had to do against Mansfield. They will need to keep up their solid play from top to bottom if they hope to continue tearing through a tough crop of PSAC East opponents.

Following a home doubleheader against East Stroudsburg on Wednesday, the Golden Bears will get their first true test on Friday when they head to Bloomsburg.

Teams kick off East play

The softball team swept Millersville on Friday in doubleheader action by scores of 9-0 and 9-0. The team then took care of Mansfield in another doubleheader at home on Saturday by scores of 4-3 and 4-3. The Golden Bears are now 4-0 in the PSAC East.

The baseball team opened PSAC East play with a 5-1 win and 1-0 loss to Bloomsburg at North Campus Field on Saturday. KU will face the Huskies again tomorrow at Bloomsburg.

Full recaps will be available in the next few days.

Baseball team set for 4 with Bloom

What: Bloomsburg Huskies @ Kutztown Golden Bears
When: Saturday, March 29, 2008 @ 1 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Where: North Campus Field on the campus of Kutztown University
~and~
What: Kutztown Golden Bears @ Bloomsburg Huskies
When: Sunday, March 30, 2008 @ 1 p.m. (Doubleheader)*
Where: Danny Litwhiler Field on the campus of Bloomsburg University
*Originally scheduled for Friday, but was postponed due to potential inclement weather

Game Info
The Golden Bears baseball team will kick off PSAC East action this weekend when they play four games against the Bloomsburg Huskies. The teams will play two in Kutztown on Saturday before heading to Bloomsburg on Sunday afternoon for another doubleheader.

In what has appeared to be a rebuilding season for the defending North Atlantic Region Champion Golden Bears, they enter the game at 10-10 overall and will likely need to claw their way to a PSAC playoff berth this season. They enter the game on the three-game win streak and are fresh off a 13-0 thrashing of Lebanon Valley on Thursday. Last year, KU went 49-7 overall, including 19-1 against the PSAC East, and was ranked first in the nation at one point.

The Huskies enter the game at 5-17, the worst record in the PSAC to this point. They are coming off back-to-back losses to Shippensburg and have dropped 14 of their last 17. Bloomsburg was 19-26 overall in 2007 and 9-11 in PSAC East action.

KU swept last season’s four meetings between the teams. The Golden Bears won 3-2 and 7-6 at home before taking a pair of 5-3 games on the road.

Probable Starting Lineups
Kutztown:
1. Mike Kacelowicz – SS
2. Mark Renda – 3B/2B
3. Chad Lightcap – DH/LF
4. Garrison Rausch – CF
5. Matt Kulbacki – CA
6. Corey Buletza - OF
7. Michael Dugan – 3B/1B
8. Jeff Kistle – RF
9. Brett Wigder – 2B
*6-9 will fluctuate from game to game

Bloomsburg:
1. Preston Hitchcock – 2B
2. Chris Tressler – RF
3. Tony Donofry – 3B
4. Kevin Ward – 1B/DH
5. Rich Letts – CA
6. Carlos Medina – LF
7. Matt Allen – SS
8. Tyler Ganser – 1B/DH or Billy Phillips OF/1B
9. Anthony Forman – CF

Scouting Report
KU manager Chris Blum has featured several different lineups this season and there is no reason to believe that will change as the season goes on. Not one player from last season currently plays the same position in the field and the pitching staff has a completely new look.

The top of the lineup has stayed fairly consistent with Mike Kacelowicz (.316-1-10) leading off every game in 2008. Mark Renda (.284-0-11) is likely to follow with Chad Lightcap (.459-4-18), Garrison Rausch (.140-0-5) and Matt Kulbacki (.291-5-15) filling out the meat of the order.

The second half of the lineup is likely to be different in each of the four games with Corey Buletza (.270-0-10), Michael Dugan (.308-1-7), Jeff Kistle (.208-0-7) [Pictured Above], Brett Wigder (.333-0-12), and Jared Frey (.371-0-4) likely to see a bulk of the action.

Darin Gorski (3-2 3.52), Philip Rummel (3-1 4.81), Rausch (0-1 6.26), and Steve Craig (2-1 5.00) are the only KU pitchers with more than one start under their belt this season and are good bets to get the starting nods this weekend.

The BU offense includes just two regulars hitting over .300 and a combined four homers. Chris Tressler (.314-0-6) leads the team in batting average, with Tony Donofry (.312-1-11) not far behind. Kevin Ward (.280-1-18) is the top RBI guy on the roster, while Carlos Medina (.270-0-12) and Donofry are not far behind. Leadoff man Preston Hitchcock (.253-0-9) hasn’t hit the lights out, but has a team high 16 walks and is 5-of-8 on the base paths.

Similar to KU, the Huskies sport just four pitchers who have made multiple starts this season. Mike Griggs (1-3 4.50), Chris Tressler (2-3 5.46), Chace Phillips (1-3 7.76), and Paul Culbertson (1-1 9.39) are the favorites to start this weekend.

Outlook
The Golden Bears don’t have the dominant team of a year ago, but they are still quite better than the Huskies. With that said, KU will need to come out and take care of business this weekend if they hope to get off on the right foot towards a PSAC playoff berth. BU will be hungry to knock off last season’s regional champion, but KU’s new look team should be up for the challenge. Anything less than wins in three of the four contests would be a disappointment.

Softball team set to open East play

What: Kutztown Golden Bears @ Millersville Marauders
When: Friday, March 28, 2008 @ 3 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Where: Pucillo Field on the campus of Millersville University

Game Info
The KU softball team will open up PSAC East play on Friday when they travel to Millersville for a doubleheader. The Golden Bears enter the game ranked 17^th in division II and sport a 23-5 overall record. KU enters the game fresh off a home sweep of Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday by scores of 3-0 and 5-1.

Millersville is 12-9 on the season and heads into the game following a home sweep of Columbia Union in doubleheader action on Wednesday. The Marauders were victorious by scores of 10-2 and 7-1.

Each team hosted a doubleheader last season with KU taking 3 of the 4 victories. The Golden Bears won 2-1 and 12-6 on the road, before returning home for a 6-2 win and a 3-4 regular-season finale loss.

Similar to 2007, KU is one of the top teams in the region this year, while the Marauders will be fighting just to qualify for the PSAC playoffs. The Golden Bears went 43-18 a season ago, but fell in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals to bring their season to a disappointing close. Millersville was 20-26 in 2007 and failed to qualify for the PSAC playoffs.

Probable Starting Lineups
Kutztown:
1. Kim Morrison – 2B
2. Maria Schiavo – LF
3. Steph Denlinger – 1B
4. Ashley Fitzgerald – CA/DH
5. Krista Cameron – 3B
6. Krista Tedjeske – SS
7. Maggie Reifsnyder – RF
8. Caitlin Hague – CA/Emily Fazekas DH
9. Kathy Gregg – CF

SPs: Kait Arbogast & Monica Glomb/Mary Hoch

Millersville:
1. Shaina Briel – 2B
2. Lindsay Hosier – SS
3. Erin Hepner – 1B
4. Alexa Ashwell – CF
5. Janell Mrakovich – DH
6. Casey Coker – 3B
7. Trisha Johnson – CA
8. Jillian Golomboski – LF
9. Maria Polyak – RF

SPs: Emily Flieger & Janell Mrakovich

Scouting Report
The Golden Bears will be expected to handle the Marauders with ease, but divisional games always tend to be a challenge.

KU will rely on their outstanding offensive attack, which sports a deadly middle of the order. Steph Denlinger (.385-5-21), Ashley Fitzgerald (.420-8-26) [Pictured Above], and Krista Cameron (.373-2-22) should each approach 20 homers this season and will cause fits for the Marauder pitching staff. Kim Morrison (.284-3-12) has done a respectable job leading off, but needs to get on base more. Maria Schiavo (.345-0-10), who teams with Morrison to set the table, is currently fourth in the nation in sacrifice hits.

Fellow freshmen Krista Tedjeske (.247-1-14) and Maggie Reifsnyder (.233-1-3) will likely hit in the six and seven slots, respectively. Reifsnyder will likely be the full time rightfielder now that Sam Flowers has left the team. A designated player will likely fill out the eight spot, while Kathy Gregg (.282-4-10) will hit ninth.

After allowing Kait Arbogast (12-3 1.76) to carry almost the entire pitching load as a freshman in 2007, Coach Judy Lawes will have fellow freshmen Mary Hoch (4-0 1.44) and Monica Glomb (5-2 2.35) to help with the workload this year. Arbogast will start a game on Friday with Glomb or Hoch likely to start the other.

Millersville’s offense is led by the bat of Janell Mrakovich (.373-2-17), who leads the team’s regulars in homers, is second in batting average, and third in RBIs. Shaina Briel (.435-1-18) leads the team in batting average, while Alexa Ashwell (.309-0-20) and Casey Coker (.309-1-20) lead the team in RBIs. Erin Hepner (.362-0-8) and Lindsay Hosier (.361-0-12) will also contribute from top of the Marauder order. It should be noted that the Marauder stats are extremely inflated thanks to Tuesday’s two-game sweep of Lincoln by scores of 44-1 and 35-0.

Emily Flieger (4-3 1.77) and Janell Mrakovich (4-4 4.67) are likely to start for the Marauders, but Courtney Eckman (2-2 7.52) will be in the mix as well.

The Golden Bears simply need to come out and do their thing. They’ve played more games than any other PSAC team thus far in 2008 so rust will not be a factor. KU has the better offense and the better pitching, which should mean an easy Friday sweep.

Divisional Play set to begin

The baseball and softball teams will kick off PSAC East play on the road this Friday before returning home on Saturday for their first home divisional contests of the season.

The baseball team has one final tune-up game against Lebanon Valley on Thursday before heading to Bloomsburg for Friday's doubleheader. The Huskies will then come to Kutztown on Saturday for another doubleheader. Joe Balco, Jerrick Braxton, and I will bring you Saturday's games live on the Golden Bear Network.

The softball team's final tuneup was a pair of games against Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday. The ladies will head to Millersville for a doubleheader on Friday before playing host to Mansfield on Saturday.

I will have previews for each of this weekend's matchups later this week. Friday's previews can be expected on Wednesday, with Saturday's softball preview likely going up on Thursday.

Reader Mail

Here are a few comments from alert readers during the past month. Also included are my responses to each.

Anonymous: I think it was a shame coach did not play Molly more than a few minutes. I don 't understand how someone could be so thoughtless when a woman is sitting there, knowing it is her LAST game, and not give her a CHANCE to shine. Even if it is only one game. It’s not like the championship was on the line. Some people have to learn to develope FEELINGS and maybe the team chemistry would be better.

I agree with you that it would have been nice to see Molly play more in her final game. Despite limited playing time and injuries over her four years, she never gave in and hung it up. Instead, she battled and gave it her all. Where is the reward for that?

Anonymous: I agree totally, all these girls (women) KNOW how to win, they have done it in HS. OK college ball is different but everyone else adjusts. Look at Millersville, West Chester, East Stroudsburg and even Cheyney this year.
What is wrong with KU??? Is it team chemistry? Coaching? Selfishness? Someone should soon figure it out, I'd be nervous if I were the coach.

I'd imagine Coach Malouf has decent job security, but I'm not about to elaborate on that. Only AD Greg Bamberger and company know that for sure.
As for why we can't seem to manage a year of dominance like Millersville, ESU, West Chester, Cal, Edinboro, Shippensburg, etc. have in the last few seasons, I don't have an answer.
Fortunately for the athletic program, KU is growing fast which will hopefully lead to even more talent (nothing against the current crop of course) and even more success for women's basketball.
Only time will tell, but your concerns, my friend, are certainly legitimate.

The Truth: Mike, true, there will be alot of new faces in the lineup, but I don't see it as a rebuilding year.
The GB's will obviously go through some struggles trying to find their identity, but with the talent Blum has amassed and the kind of production that a few of these guys gave last year, i'm almost certain that the team will do well. Maybe not 49 wins well, but I think they could put up a good 30+.
Kulbacki should be nasty this year, same with Lightcap.
But the guy I see improving the most out of everyone this year is Riggins. Why the hell hasn't he broken out yet? Really? He has all the tools that are necessary, but he's never put up a great year. With the guys available for Blum, Riggins is due. Mike, you know as well as anyone that baseball is a numbers game. Percentages are what make baseball what it is. Odds of Riggins breaking out? Let's just say, eh, 75% (Although 60% might be more fair.)
Pitching wise, same can be said with Cassidy. Fall semester I saw that kid in the weight room nearly every day. Of course, he probably wanted to see his gf half the time, but mix in a little lifting during the time spent there and you've got yourself a good worker committed to getting better in '08.
And it's not like he had a bad year in '07. With so many guys in front of him in the rotatin, dude never had the opportunity to show the stuff he had on a consistent basis. Probably will get that this year.
Nice preview, though. I'm looking forward to baseball season in general--Phillies and Orioles.
But obviously, I have a soft spot for KU baseball.

I suppose they could be "reloading" rather than "rebuilding", but I think it too early to make that call. We're just going to have to see.
With that said, I think we both know enough about the game to know that you can't throw a bunch of new faces together and expect them to gel right away. I think 2008-09 will be a learning experience and the next few years will be the ones where they really excel.
Don't get me wrong-I agree there is talent here, but show me a baseball team that doesn't need chemistry and experience to succeed and I'll show you a tee ball team.

Anonymous: 10th in Nation. What a great start to the season. Where did that girl learn how to HIT ?????? Its amazing, usually at this level no one is that good. And the pitcher is great also, funny they are both not at D1 schools.

I'm assuming you're referring to first baseman Steph Denlinger and starting pitcher Kait Arbogast. Both are outstanding as you mentioned and still have more than one season left here at KU. Props to Coach Lawes for the top-notch recruiting.

Anonymous: This team is GREAT...I have been following the online results, this coach, evidently, knows how to recruit!!! What a dream team. Is anyone in the division "better " than this? Does Lock Haven still have that good pitcher, and do they have hitters like this?

As mentioned in my softball preview, this team should be a national contender. Coach Lawes has done a superb job recruiting, especially by breaking new ground for the PSAC in Canada.
Lock Haven does still have Kristin Erb, who is in her junior season.

Mo: See, I still have qualms about the statement that KU baseball is "clearly in rebuilding mode."
It's very evident that KU baseball is retooling this year with its youngers players. But rebuilding, to me at least, is a scenario where a team gives up hope of doing anything substantial in the season and just tries to develop its younger players while exiling its older group.
KU isn't doing that. The Golden Bears are 7-9 and several of their losses have been by 3-runs or less.
That means the talent is there, and with a few errors or swings going in KU's favor, you might have a 10-6 record instead.
The sign of a very good system is when a team like KU wins game that maybe it isn't supposed to win, considering its young core.
It just goes to show what kind of talent is there at this juncture and what it can do in the next couple of years.
But even this year, PSACs aren't out of the question. If I'm not mistaken, it is the top three teams from each division that make the playoffs. KU is chillin' at the three-spot.
Rebuilding implies no chance at playoff.
The GB's aren't out of it yet.

I'm not sure where you got your definition of "rebuilding", but we clearly got it from two different places.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that this is a down year by KU standards. Keep in mind that the baseball team was number one in the nation last season, but isn't even going to be ranked this year. They lost almost their entire starting lineup and most of their top pitchers. It is clearly a rebuilding year, whether you want to admit it or not.
I never claimed the rebuilding effort was without talent. Most teams (at any level) who lost as much as KU did would be struggling to win even a few games, but the talent pool brought in by Coach Blum has allowed them to compete despite the youth and experience.
The Golden Bears are 7-9 this year as you mentioned. They went 49-7 last year, 43-13 in 2006, 39-18 in 2005, 37-16 in 2004, and 25-15 in 2003. Notice a trend? Coach Blum built up a top team and rode them to their climax last season.
This year is obviously a down year and a time for rebuilding. A losing record is by no means an acceptable record for a program that generally competes nationally. You can bet they will be back to contending in a year or so, but not in 2008.
You mentioned they will likely make PSACs. I agree 100%. But, will they contend with 17-2 West Chester? Unlikely.

The Gaming Guru: Have any of the KU baseball guys from last year made it to the pros or anything yet?

Kyle Sadlowski is with the Cardinals, Matt Maradeo with the Cubs, Jason Mills with the Orioles, and Mike McCardell is flying through the Twins system. All four are pitchers.

Divisional play nears

Well, the spring break games are in the books and PSAC play will soon be upon us. The baseball team is 7-9 so far this season, one in which they are clearly in rebuilding mode. The softball team, meanwhile, sits at 17-4 and is a contender at the national level.

As mentioned earlier this year, I will begin covering the games in depth once conference play begins. The softball team's first home game will be against Indiana (Pa) on Mar. 25 and the baseball team will be at home this Friday, Mar. 21 to take on Wilmington. Both teams will open PSAC East play on Mar. 28 when the softball team heads to Millersville and the baseball team is in Bloomsburg.

UPDATED: While I'm in the Bahamas...

I will be leaving for the Bahamas (yes, I'm rubbing it in), on Friday evening and will not be back until Thursday night. I'm going to post the entire Spring Break baseball and softball schedules here for you, but I cannot promise that the site will be updated while I'm out of the country. If you want updated scores, as always you can check the KU Athletics Website.

UPDATE: I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my plane back to Philly, so here are some updated scores from earlier this week:

Saturday, March 8:
Baseball vs. Armstrong Atlantic St. L 1-2
Softball vs. Mount Olive W 2-1

Sunday, March 9:
Baseball vs. West Liberty St. W 8-6
Softball vs. Charleston (WV) W 11-3
Softball vs. Augusta St. L 2-5

Monday, March 10:
Baseball vs. Concord L 5-8
Softball vs. Armstrong Atlantic St. W 5-0, W 7-4

Tuesday, March 11:
Baseball vs. Fairmont St. W16-7
Baseball vs. Armstrong Atlantic St. L 2-5
Softball vs. Chowan W 8-3
Softball vs. West Liberty St. W 4-1

Wednesday, March 12:
Softball vs. Chowan W 6-3
Softball vs. West Liberty St. W 8-0

Thursday, March 13:
Baseball vs. California (Pa.) L 10-14
Softball vs. Pikeville W 10-1
Softball vs. St. Francis (IN) W 10-2

Friday, March 14:
Baseball vs. California (Pa.) W 4-3
Baseball vs. Fairmont St. W 3-2

Marauders end Golden Bears' season

Millersville Marauders 99

Kutztown Golden Bears 88

Recap:
Coming off a regular season in which they won a share of the PSAC East with a 10-2 divisional record, the Golden Bears expectations were much higher than to simply make the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, the defending PSAC champion Marauders were on top of their game in Tuesday night’s playoff contest at Keystone Hall, upending the Golden Bears by a score of 99-88. The loss drops KU’s overall record to 19-9 and brings their season to a close. Of the eight playoff games played yesterday (men’s and women’s), the MU win over KU was the only upset.

Key Stat:
If you witnessed the game, this one will be obvious. The Golden Bears shot just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc, while the Marauders were an impressive 11-of-16. MU also outrebounded KU 47-34, including 18-10 on the offensive glass. Both teams shot over 43 percent in the game, but the Marauders simply made their shots when they counted the most.

Key Moment:
Three pointers from Andre Woodlin and Nate Edwards followed by a pair of free throws from Woodlin got KU to within four points with 1:24 to play. The Golden Bears needed a defensive stop to stay in the contest, but RayQuan Miles tipped in a Charlie Parker miss to put MU back up by six. Woodlin would then miss a three pointer before Bernard Brown dunked to put the Marauders up eight and all but end the game. KU would answer with a quick two point bucket, but Millersville hit five straight free throws to close out the scoring.

What we liked:
The Golden Bears offense certainly came to play, but unfortunately the MU offense was slightly better. KU shot 44 percent from the floor and hit an impressive 29-of-32 free throws. Stephen Dennis was outstanding for KU, scoring a team-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Ryan Washington had a double-double, scoring 12 and hauling in a dozen boards.

What we didn’t like:
KU had an extremely tough time on the defensive glass, allowing 18 offensive boards. The 3-of-16 from beyond the arc also proved costly. Dave Ben and Edwards combined to shoot just 6-of-25 from the field, but each managed to score double figures.

Impact:
As mentioned, the loss ends KU’s season and allows Millersville to move on to Friday’s final four in Cheyney. The Marauders will face Edinboro, while Cheyney will take on California (Pa.).

The Golden Bears certainly were disappointed with the way this season came to a close, but they should not keep their heads down for long. The truth is that Millersville simply played their best basketball when they needed to the most. I’d still argue that KU is the more talented team, but this year, the Marauders got the best of the Golden Bears. Next season, KU returns all 5 starters and loses only one player to graduation, Kevin Hafera. This team will likely be favored to win the PSAC in 2008-09.

Golden Bears fall to Marauders

The KU men's basketball team fell to Millersville 99-88 tonight at Keystone Hall, bringing their season to a close. The Golden Bears were the East's number-two seed in the PSAC Playoffs, but the loss to the Marauders brings their season to a close. KU finishes the season with a 19-9 overall record. Check back for a full recap tomorrow.

Gameday

PSAC Men's Basketball - 2008 Playoffs - First Round

The Golden Bears will kick of the PSAC Playoffs tonight when they play host to Millersville. The action is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Keystone Hall. You can listen to the game live on KUR.

Tonight's playoff schedule:
East:
(3) Millersville @ (2) Kutztown 7 p.m.
(4) East Stroudsburg @ (1) Cheyney 7 p.m.

West:
(3) Clarion @ (2) California 8 p.m.
(4) IUP @ (1) Indiana (Pa.)

THIS ONE COUNTS

What: Millersville Marauders @ Kutztown Golden Bears
When: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 @ 7 p.m.
Where: Keystone Hall on the campus of Kutztown University

One year later, they get another chance.

The Golden Bears will certainly be thinking about last year’s disappointing first-round exit when they play host to the Millersville Marauders in the PSAC East Quarterfinals at Keystone Hall on Tuesday. Like one season ago, KU heads into the postseason as the number-two seed and will play at least one playoff game at home. Last year, the Cheyney Wolves came into town and knocked the Golden Bears out of the playoffs by a score of 79-63. This year, KU will hope to escape a first round collapse and will be looking for a PSAC Championship. The challenge will not be any easier, however, with a talented Marauder team looking to pull off the upset.

The teams enter the game with identical 19-8 overall records—the top record in the division. The Golden Bears went 10-2 in the East, which tied them with top-seeded Cheyney for a share of the PSAC East regular season title. Millersville held onto the three seed with an 8-4 divisional record.

The teams have already met twice this season, with each winning on their home court. On Jan. 23, KU came away with the 78-60 victory at Keystone Hall. Led by Andre Woodlin’s 17 points, KU shot just under 50-percent en route to the win. Only four different Marauders scored in the game. The game was extremely competitive and MU head coach Fred Thompson was ejected late in the second half.

The Marauders got their revenge on Feb. 20 when they knocked off KU 80-67 at Pucillo Gymnasium. Dave Ben scored 29 points, but the Golden Bears committed what would prove to be a costly 26 turnovers.

The Golden Bears enter this contest fresh off Saturday’s 82-74 home win against East Stroudsburg. Woodlin notched a career-high 28 points to carry KU to the victory. ESU, who will face Cheyney in the first round of the playoffs, actually outshot the Golden Bears, but hit 15 less free throws and committed 26 turnovers.

After dropping back-to-back games to ESU and Cheyney, Millersville enters this game coming off a regular-season finale shellacking of West Chester on Saturday. The MU defense held the Golden Rams to 18.6-percent from the field en route to the 67-37 win.

Probable Starters:
Millersville:
G - #3 - Charlie Parker – 16.1 PPG
G - #20 - Cory Bray – 6.1 PPG
G - #22 - Reggie Bates – 19.3 PPG
F - #42 - RayQuan Miles – 6.0 PPG
F - #44 - Bernard Brown – 10.1 PPG

Kutztown:
G - # 14 – Stephen Dennis – 17.1 PPG
G - # 32 - Andre Woodlin – 13.5 PPG
F - # 34 - Dave Ben – 17.0 PPG
F - # 52 - Ryan Washington – 8.9 PPG
C - # 55 - Jeremy Coombs – 6.1 PPG

Scouting Report:
The Golden Bears and Marauders enter this game as two of the top scoring—and possibly the top two most exciting offenses—in the league. You can bet that this will be an intense and fast-paced game. Both teams enjoy pushing the ball and letting their skill players make things happen. The Golden Bears sport a much deeper team than the Marauders and a bad day by one of KU’s top scorers generally does not mean certain loss. Meanwhile, MU relies on Bates and Parker to carry a significant workload and a poor outing from one of them is usually fatal. On the other hand, if those two have a big day, it is almost certain that the Marauders will come out on top. They are two of the most talented players in the league, but they will need to be at the top of their individual games if MU has a chance in the PSAC.

As has been the case all season, KU will continue to rely on top-off-the-line scoring threats Ben, Dennis, and Woodlin. Each has had their moments as the team leader in scoring this season, but all three will need to play stellar basketball in the postseason. Washington and Coombs have done a respectable job in the front court, but need to find ways to avoid foul trouble. Washington, only a redshirt freshman, has proved he can contribute at this level and his services in the paint will be requirement towards KU’s title run. Guard Nate Edwards and center Kevin Hafera will a significant workload off the bench. Edwards has a knack for making big plays and will be counted on to do the same in the playoffs. Hafera, the team’s lone senior, will look to man the front court in relief of Washington and Coombs. Center Mark Bower and guards Mike Connolly and Steve Coffey will each see a few minutes off the bench.

Millersville will, as mentioned, rely on Bates and Parker to make the big plays in this game. Combined, they have scored almost 1,000 points this season, recorded 117 steals, dished out 193 assists, and grabbed 10.3 rebounds per game.

Brown leads the team’s rebounding effort, hauling in seven boards a game. He also chips in just over 10 points a game, making him a serious double-double threat. Bray and Miles will both play near 30 minutes, assuming they stay out of foul trouble. Bray is a threat from beyond the arc, while Miles averages near seven boards a game and will keep the KU forwards busy.

In conclusion, KU head coach Bernie Driscoll will no doubt be focusing on stopping Parker and Bates in this game. The Golden Bears struggled the last time this team’s met, but it is a very rare occurrence for the entire team to struggle. With that said, there is no reason to doubt the Golden Bear offense will show up. That means stopping the Parker-Bates duo is the key to the game. Can they do it? We’ll see.

Prediction:
What fun is a preview without a prediction? I feel like this game will either be a dogfight until the finish or a complete blowout. Millersville tends to be Jekyll and Hyde and a poor day from a top scorer will make their chances to win almost impossible. KU sports and great defense and will give the Marauders their share of problems. There is also no reason to believe that the big time players in this game will come to play on Tuesday. With all that said, I think Bates and Parker will have decent days for Millersville, but they won’t get quite enough help to upset the much deeper Golden Bears. It will be close until the late stages, but KU will take care of business.

Millersville 70
Kutztown 79

Senior Day!

Rachel Weidensaul, Molly Brown, and Mercedes Van Wagner each played their final game at Keystone Hall on Saturday afternoon. As always, photos by Tony Vasquez.

Golden Bears win share of PSAC East

East Stroudsburg Warriors 74
Kutztown Golden Bears 82

Recap:
The KU men’s basketball team is the PSAC East champion! The Golden Bears defeated East Stroudsburg on Saturday to improve their divisional record to 10-2, which ties them with Cheyney for a share of the PSAC East regular season title. By virtue of a tiebreaker, the Wolves will be the number-one seed for the playoffs, but the Golden Bears will still get at least one home playoff game. On Tuesday evening, KU will play host to third seed Millersville, while ESU will head to Cheyney. The Golden Bears finish the regular season 19-8 overall.

Key Stat:
The Golden Bears hit 15 more free throws than the Warriors, which proved to be the difference in the game. KU was 35-of-51 from the charity stripe, while ESU was 20-of-26. There were a total of 61 personal fouls and 41 turnovers in the game

Key Moment:
ESU’s Josh Wentz hit a three pointer with 40 seconds to play in the game, cutting his team’s deficit to five. That would be as close as the Warriors would get, as KU outscored them 5-2 in the final seconds to close out the game.

Golden Performance:
Andre Woodlin was in the zone—to say the least. He was 8-of-13 from the floor and scored a career-high 28 points. The junior was also 12-of-16 from the free throw line, grabbed 10 rebounds, recorded two steals, and dished out a pair of assists.

Not-So-Golden Performance:
If you were at this game, you should already know where I’m going with this. The refereeing was abysmal at best. Okay, fine. It sucked. My partner on the air Jason Ogle and I could not believe our eyes on several occasions and vehemently voiced our displeasure to the listening audience. I lost count of how many phantom calls were made, how many incorrect calls were made, and how many easy calls were missed. I suppose even referees have their bad days, and this was sure one of them. 61 fouls were whistled and seven players fouled out. Ridiculous.

Impact:
The Golden Bears win means that Millersville will be in town for Tuesday’s playoff game. Meanwhile, Cheyney will host East Stroudsburg at Cope Hall.

If Cheyney wins, the rest of the PSAC playoffs will be held at Cope Hall. If Cheyney falls and KU wins, the rest of the tournament will be at Keystone Hall. If both KU and CU fall, the remainder of the playoffs will be at Pucillo Gymnasium in Millersville. In the PSAC West, Edinboro will be the top seed and will play either IUP or Slippery Rock in the first round. Meanwhile, California (Pa.) will take on Clarion.

Check back in the next two days for a full playoff preview.

Softball teams tunes up at Catawba Tourny

The KU softball team has been playing some early season non-conference ball in the shadows of the tail end of the basketball season. The team is in Salisbury, NC this weekend for the Catawba Tournament.

The ladies started the tourney on Friday with a 9-0 win over Glenville State and a 7-3 loss to Catawba. On Saturday, the Golden Bears knocked off Coker 6-0 before falling to Lincoln Memorial 3-2. On Sunday, KU defeated Fairmont State 4-3.

KU is now 7-3 overall this season. The Golden Bears next action will be a trip to Florence, SC on Friday for the Francis Marion Patriot Invitational.

Loss overshadows Senior Day

East Stroudsburg Warriors 83
Kutztown Golden Bears 72

Recap:
Despite already knowing they were eliminated from the PSAC playoff race, the women’s basketball team gave it their all in the team’s regular season finale. Unfortunately for them, playoff-bound East Stroudsburg played an outstanding game and was able to come away with the 11 point victory.

Key Stat:
838. The game was meaningless with both team’s postseason fates already set, so why not focus on some history. Mercedes Van Wagner will one day be a member of the Kutztown University Hall of Fame and she added to her already outstanding resume today. In her last game as a Golden Bear, the senior center hauled in 11 rebounds to give her 838 for her career, a new KU career record. She is also KU’s all time block leader and one of 11 ladies to score 1,000 career points.

Key Moment:
As much as I’d like to ignore the disappointing end to the season and focus on the positives, the moment of the game that really turned the tables was pretty clear. KU trailed by 20 with 9:16 left in the game before they went on an 8-0 run that stole them the game’s momentum and got them to within 12 with 7:00 to play. Right when it seemed like the Golden Bears were about to wheel in the Warriors, a timeout was called. It is officially listed as a media timeout, but the referee appeared to gesture as though KU coach Janet Malouf called for it. Regardless of who called it, the timeout proved to be costly as ESU came out of the timeout strong with a 5-0 run that put the game away for good.

Golden Performance:
As mentioned, Van Wagner was stellar, hauling in 11 rebounds. She also scored 12 points, which marks yet another double-double, one of dozens in her successful career at KU. Van Wagner was 6-of-6 from the free throw line and also recorded a steal and block. She will be missed.

Not-So-Golden Performance:
No one on KU played a particularly poor game, so there aren’t many negatives to point out in that regard. The most disappointing thing about the game to me was the fact that Molly Brown played just 8 minutes. Playing in her final game, the senior center managed 3 boards and 4 points on 1-of-4 shooting. It was unfortunate that coach Malouf didn’t allow her more minutes, especially since it was a meaningless game. Brown struggled with injuries throughout her four-year career and never saw consistent minutes because of that. However, she stuck with it and has done a decent job off the bench for KU when she has been healthy. It was really upsetting to me to not see her play more than 8 minutes. Even though they are both centers, Van Wagner and Brown certainly could’ve played at the same time, similar to how they did last year.

Impact:
ESU will head off to Millersville for the playoffs, while the Golden Bears will begin planning for 2008-09. KU will lose Mercedes Van Wagner, Rachel Weidensaul, and Molly Brown to graduation, so they will need to find a way to replace that size. Rachel Wisemiller will likely step into the starting lineup for Weidensaul and Coach Malouf apparently has at least two freshman forwards set to step into significant playing time. Chauntelle Schroeder and Claire Sitarz will also be expected to step into significant minutes in the front court in an attempt to replace the production of Van Wagner. KU will return 3 starters in Meredith Starr, Lara Dellegrotti, and Melissa McQuade. McQuade was superb as a freshman and will be expected to be the top scoring threat for KU in 2008-09. Dellegrotti will enter her senior season looking to carry the torch in the back court and will be counted on to distribute the basketball and hit three point buckets. Starr did a decent job handling the ball as a freshman and will need to improve in her sophomore campaign. Wisemiller, Melvin, and Dovey will also likely be big parts of the KU rotation next year.

The Golden Bears finish the season with an 11-16 overall record. They went 4-8 in the PSAC East, the worst divisional mark put up by a Janet Malouf team since her arrival in 1994-95. In Malouf’s first eight years at KU, her team’s posted a 64-32 record against PSAC East opponents. Since that point, KU has gone 32-40 over her last six years.

Men win PSAC East, women fall against ESU

The men's basketball team knocked off East Stroudsburg 82-74 at home this afternoon, which clinched them a share of the PSAC East Championship, their first PSAC East title in 20 years. The Golden Bears finish the regular season 10-2 in the division, which ties them for first in the East with Cheyney. KU will take on Millersville at Keystone Hall on Tuesday in the first round of the playoffs. The game will start at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, the ladies fell to ESU in their regular season finale by a score of 83-72. KU has already been eliminated from the playoffs so their season has come to a close.

Check back for full recaps of the games and for an extensive preview of Tuesday's playoff game.

Gameday

Both basketball teams are set to do battle against East Stroudsburg today at Keystone Hall. The action kicks off with the women's game at 1 p.m. and the men will follow at 3 p.m. Kutztown will be celebrating senior day today prior to both games.

The women have already been eliminated from the PSAC playoffs, so this will be the final game of their season.

Meanwhile, the men win a share of the PSAC East regular season crown with a win. A victory over ESU would also mean that Millersville will come to Keystone Hall on Tuesday for a first round playoff game. A loss by KU, coupled with a MU loss to WCU today, would mean that KU would host ESU for the second time in 4 days on Tuesday for the first round game.

You can listen to myself and Jason Ogle as we bring you all of today's action live on the Golden Bear Network. Coverage starts at 12:50 p.m.