Baseball moves back into playoff race

Recap:
Friday, April 18 @ East Stroudsburg:
Game 1: L 1-2
The Golden Bears had as many errors as hits in game one, which allowed the Warriors to escape with a 2-1 victory. KU had just three hits—one a piece from Mike Kacelowicz, Matt Kulbacki, and Garrison Rausch. The three errors were costly as they spoiled a stellar outing by Phil Rummel, who tossed a complete game, allowing two unearned runs on six hits while striking out seven.
Game 2: W 11-6
The Kacelowicz brothers were a perfect 6-of-6 at the plate, which helped lead KU to a bounce back win in game two by a score of 11-6. Mike Kacelowicz, hitting out of the two-hole for the first time this season, was 4-of-4 with two runs and two RBIs. His brother Scott was 2-of-2 at the plate and had three RBIs. Matt Kulbacki was 3-for-3 and Brett Wigder was 2-of-4. Garrison Rausch was the winning pitcher, allowing three runs on four hits in five innings.
Saturday, April 19 vs. East Stroudsburg:
Game 1: W 2-0
Darin Gorski continued his sensational 2008 season with a complete game, three-hit shutout in a 2-0 win in game one on Saturday. The KU offense managed just four hits, but a fourth inning two-run double by Jared Frey was all the support Gorski would need. Corey Buletza, Mike Kacelowicz, and Chad Lightcap had KU’s other three hits.
Game 2: W 10-3
Derek Reis got spanked in the top of the first inning, allowing three quick ESU runs, but the KU offense responded with three runs of it’s own in the bottom of the frame. Reis would then cruise through the rest of the day as his offense exploded to nine hits en route to a 10-3 KU win. Reis was the winning pitcher, allowing just the three first inning runs on four hits in five innings of work. Lightcap and Mike Kacelowicz led the offense with two hits a piece. Lightcap, leading off for the first time this season, had two RBIs and three runs scored.

What we liked:
Following the loss in game one of the four-game set, the Golden Bears had their backs up against the wall. The situation was basically win the next three games, or forget about the playoffs. Not only did the Golden Bears win all three games, but they dominated all three of them in some way. Darin Gorski dominated one of the wins, while the young offense finally exploded in the other two affairs. This was a great sign, as both the pitching staff and offense will need to be on top of their game when they play for their playoff lives this weekend against West Chester.

Offensively, Mike Kacelowicz erased any memories of his mid-season slump, tearing the cover off the ball over the four game set. He was 8-of-12 (.667) at the plate, scored four runs, and drove in three. Matt Kulbacki caught two games and finally got a chance to DH another (it’s about time the way he’s hitting the ball). He was 4-of-8 (.500) at the plate and scored twice. Scott Kacelowicz had a big game on Saturday and was 2-for-4 (.500) with three RBIs and two runs scored on the weekend. Chad Lightcap was well below his average at 3-for-11 (.273), but scored four times. Jared Frey was only 3-of-13 (.231) at the plate, but drove in a team-high six runs and also scored twice.

I don’t have to say much more about how good Gorski looked on Saturday, but the other three starters were not far behind. Phil Rummel did not allow an earned run in his start on Friday and Derek Reis retired 11 straight after a disastrous first inning on Saturday. Garrison Rausch, who has struggled in 2008, improved his ERA and got a win on Friday when he allowed three runs in five innings.

What we didn’t like:
There were a lot of positives this weekend, so there isn’t much to say here. The Golden Bears really could’ve used that win in game on Friday, but the three errors were very costly. If KU misses the playoffs by a game, we could look back at that one and wonder what if. The offense was much better this weekend, but there were a notable few exceptions. After returning from injury a few weeks ago, James Quigley got off to a great start. However, he has struggled as of late in the cleanup spot and was just 1-of-5 (.200) with one RBI this weekend. Corey Buletza saw some work in the leadoff position (a place I could certainly see him getting a lot of time at down the road), but was just 2-of-10 (.200) at the plate this past weekend. Others who struggled at the dish included Garrison Rausch 1-of-5 (.200), Mike Dugan 1-of-7 (.143), and Jeff Kistle 1-of-10 (.100).

Impact:
The three wins improved KU’s divisional record to 8-8, which puts them in a tie with Mansfield for the final playoff spot in the PSAC East. West Chester and Millersville both sit at 10-6 atop the division, but both can be dethroned this weekend. KU will be at West Chester, ranked 14^th in division II, for a doubleheader on Friday and will then host a doubleheader against those same Golden Rams on Saturday at North Campus Field. Mansfield will play four with Bloomsburg (6-10) and ESU (6-10) will be at Millersville.

Both of those matchups will impact KU’s attempt to hang on for playoff spot, but the Golden Bears can help themselves. They will need to beat West Chester at least twice to stay ahead of Mansfield or ESU. If the Golden Bears take three-of-four from the Golden Rams, they would end up tied with the Golden Rams and would hold the tiebreaker. Previously this season, KU split with Bloomsburg and Mansfield, lost three of four to Millersville, and, of course, most recently took three of four from ESU.