Baseball rebounds for split with Mounties

Recap:
Saturday, April 5 @ Mansfield:
Game 1: L 0-1
Phil Rummel threw a jem, but allowed one run, which was enough for the Mounties to take a 1-0 win. Rummel threw the entire six innings for KU, surrendering one earned run on seven hits. Chad Lightcap led the offense with a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Mike Kacelowicz and Jared Frey each had a hit—the only other hits for KU in the game.

Game 2: L 0-7
Garrison Rausch’s struggles continued in game two as he allowed five earned runs on six hits in four innings of work. Lightcap chipped in with another 2-of-3 performance, while Frey, James Quigley, Jeff Kistle, and Scott Kacelowicz accounted for the other four KU hits.
Sunday, April 6 vs. Mansfield:
Game 1: W 3-1
Chad Lightcap continued his dismantling of the Mansfield pitching staff as he, once again, was 2-for-3 at the plate. This time around he was a bit more productive, smashing a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. KU had just four hits as a team, with Mike Kacelowicz and Corey Buletza each contributing one a piece. Darin Gorski was the winning pitcher, allowing one run on three hits in a complete game effort.

Game 2: 5-2

Derek Reis had another outstanding performance, allowing just one unearned run on three hits in 5.1 innings of work. Mike Kacelowicz, Buletza, and Lightcap each had two hits en route to the 5-2 win. Frey, Quigley, Kistle, Mark Renda, and Scott Kacelowicz each had one hit.

What we liked:
Chad Lightcap was phenomenal at the plate as he accounted for almost all of KU’s offensive production. He was a ridiculous 8-of-13 at the plate in the four-game series, scored twice, and had three RBIs. With the exception of Rausch’s start on Saturday, the pitching was stellar once again. Gorski, Rummel, and Reis have each provided back-to-back stellar outings and will need to keep that up to keep KU in the running for a PSAC East playoff spot.

What we didn’t like:
Rausch has had his problems both at the plate and on the mound this season. Manager Chris Blum was hoping to rely on Rausch to provide offense from the cleanup spot and to contribute as one of the team’s top three starting pitchers. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Pitching is going to continue to be what wins games for KU down the stretch and Rausch is going to need to get on the right track. Overall, the offense was dismal to say the least. The Golden Bears were shutout for 19 straight innings before Lightcap finally came through with Sunday’s game-winning homer. The offense put a five-spot on the board in the final game of the series, but is that a fluke or a sign of things to come?

Impact:
The two shutouts on Saturday certainly were worrisome, as it seemed KU couldn’t even compete with the second best team in the PSAC East. But, then the Golden Bears bounced back with a sweep of their own on Sunday, which shows us how good their pitching can be. At 4-4 in the East and having split with Mansfield, KU is looking like the favorite to take at least the final spot in the division. Although I think a lack of run production will be the downfall at the end of this season, the young offense should only improve with experience and as the weather gets warmer.

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.