KUTZTOWN, Pa. - Millersville and Kutztown played two down-to-the-wire games Friday resulting in a doubleheader split to open the PSAC East series. Millersville rallied late for a 4-3 game one victory, but its rally fell short in game two as Kutztown held on for a 5-4 win. 

Kutztown's game two was its first against Millersville (19-5, 9-1) since 2018, during which time Millersville had won 16 in row. Kutztown also kept Millersville from setting a program record for consecutive wins to start PSAC East play. Instead, the 2024 Marauders, now 9-1 in the division, managed to match the 2023 club's 9-0 start before taking its first PSAC East loss. 

Carson Kulina (5-0) gave the Marauders seven strong innings while Jeff Sabater's single and two steals followed by Mark McNelly's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh completed the comeback in game one. Kutztown led 5-0 in the game two before the Marauders scored two in the sixth and two in the seventh, but Kutztown escaped with Millersville leaving the bases loaded in each of the final two innings. 

WIth injuries mounting, Millersville was forced to use Keegan Soltis at catcher for the first time in his career. Soltis started both games behind the plate. He ran his hitting streak to eight before a hitless game two. McNelly's hitting streak ended at 13 games in game two, but he still managed two RBIs in the game and five total on the day. 

GAME ONE
Millersville rallied from deficits twice and scored a run in each of the final two innings for the comeback win. The Marauders manufactured offense to tie the game in the sixth inning and did it again to take the lead in the seventh.

With the Marauders trailing 3-2 in the sixth, an error on a Sam Morris ground ball to shortstop gave the Marauders life. Morris stole second and advanced to third on a Keegan Soltis sacrifice bunt. Justin Taylor then squeezed home Morris with a well-placed bunt down the first-base line. Millersville relied on its base running again in the seventh. Sabater led off with a single and promptly swiped second and third. With one out, McNelly's fly to right field was plenty deep enough for Sabater to race home. 

McNelly finished with three RBIs, and Sabater scored two of the Marauders four runs. 

Kulina battled his way to a complete game. Aided by a Millersville error, Kutztown jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. But Kulina surrendered just four hits and one unearned run the rest of the way and sat down the Golden Bears in order in the bottom of the seventh. 

GAME TWO
Paul Moretski (2-4) quieted the Marauders for five innings, surrendering just one hit until Sabater's bunt single with Hunter Stevens on first in the sixth inning. Small ball worked for the Marauders, though as two walks, a productive ground out from McNelly and RBI single from Morris got two runs on the board. Millersville loaded the bases and had the tying run on on base but KU reliever Tyler Cleveland worked his way out of the jam. 

Millersville threatened again in the seventh as Amani Jones walk on four pitches, and Cole Houser and Sabater singled to load the bases with no outs. With one out, McNelly and Williams drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks to bring Millersville to within one. Kutztown turned to reliever Kannon Zdimal, and that made the difference for the Golden Bears. Zdimal forced a pop up to first and a ground out to second to preserve the win for Kutztown. 

Kutztown out-hit the Marauders 9-5, but Millersville did draw seven walks. 

UP NEXT
The final two games of the Millersville-Kutztown series have been moved to Sunday, March 24 because of the weather forecast for Saturday. First pitch from Cooper Park is set for 1 p.m.