IUP Wastes Several Scoring Opportunities, Falls to Kutztown in Opening Game of PSAC Tournament



Shayne Busti had two hits and drove in a run in the loss to Kutztown

May 1, 2008

Boxscore

Kutztown strung together all four of its base hits and took advantage of a key error to score four times in the sixth inning, handing IUP a 4-3 setback and dropping the Crimson Hawks into the loser's bracket of the PSAC tournament.

IUP (36-18) will face Shippensburg (33-22) in an elimination game at 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The Raiders lost to West Chester 7-0 in an opening round game Wednesday night.

The game was the first for IUP in the PSAC tournament since losing both contests in 1998. The Crimson Hawks are seeking their first conference playoff win since defeating Mansfield in 1993 and first league title since 1990.

The Crimson Hawks were held scoreless through the first four innings despite getting a pair of two-out hits in both the of the opening two frames. That turned out to be a recurring theme in the game as IUP amassed nine hits but left nine runners on base.

IUP finally broke out on top 3-0 in the fifth inning. With out one, Mark Woleslagle and Jamie Smith singled. Shane Melhorn hit a grounder to the mound, but Kutztown pitcher Philip Rummel threw wildly to third trying to start a double play and Woleslagle scored the first run of the game.

Paul Bingham drove in Smith with a sacrifice fly and Melhorn came across on a single by Shayne Busti. All three runs in the inning were unearned.

Meanwhile, IUP pitcher Colby Betz, in search of his eighth win of the season without a loss, was mowing down the Golden Bears. He did not allow a baserunner through the first five innings, striking out six.

But Kutztown reached Betz in the sixth with consecutive singles by Garrison Rausch, Michael Dugan, Brett Wigder and Chad Lightcap starting the inning, the last two driving in runs to pull the Golden Bears to within 3-2.

With runners on first and second and nobody out, Kyle Stryker overthrew Ryan Mostyn at first base on a sacrifice bunt. Widger scored the tying run on the error, and Lightcap came across with what proved to be the winning run on a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Jared Frey.

Smith was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Melhorn in the seventh but was eventually stranded at third. T.J. Nichols and Shawn Schwarz singled with one out in the eighth but could not dent the scoreboard. IUP went in order in the ninth.

Betz worked the first seven innings before Melhorn came in from centerfield to finish up. Melhorn did not allow a hit and pitched around an error to start the inning.