FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mounties Bomb Kutztown 17-0 in Nightcap Behind Molison's Inside-the-Park Grand Slam
MANSFIELD –
Jacob Molison hit an inside-the-park grand slam and
Matt Engler fired a six-hit shutout to lead Mansfield to a 17-0 win over Kutztown in the nightcap of a PSAC East doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Shaute Field.
Mansfield dropped the opener 9-3.
The Mountaineers, who have now won seven of their last eight games, scored early and often getting a run in the second inning on a RBI double by
Ryan Paige and adding four more in the third when Molison hit a towering fly ball to straight-away centerfield that went just beyond the reach of a leaping Kutztown centerfielder Brandon Martinez and off the top of the fence to clear the bases. Molison made it the rarest of events at Shaute Field when he slid under the tag at the plate for an inside-the-park grand slam.
Mansfield added seven more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Wes Baylor followed by a solo home run by
Anthony Renz. Paige hit a three-run home run two batters later to give the Mountaineers a 12-0 lead.
The Mountaineers kept up their torrid hitting-attack with four more runs in the fifth inning with
Taylor Hillson driving in the first on a run-scoring single followed by back-to-back doubles by Baylor and Renz to plate three more runs. It was the third home run in two days for Baylor giving him nine on the season.
Mansfield scored its final run in the sixth when
Dalton Lewis picked up an RBI after drawing a bases-loaded walk.
Engler put on a commanding performance in picking up his first win of the season. The senior scattered six hits while striking out seven and walking two. He didn't allow a runner to advance beyond second base and struck out five batters over the final two innings including striking out the side in the sixth.
Eric Schanzenbacher and Molison each had three hits in the game with Molison driving in four runs along with Paige. Renz and Baylor both homered and drove in three runs.
Mansfield rapped out a season-best 16 hits in the game while the 17 run margin of victory was the most since a 21-3 win over Lake Erie College in 2010.
In the opener, Kutztown jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the top of the first off of Mansfield's
Alec Covel with two of those runs coming off a home run by Matt Armour.
Covel settled down later in the game striking out a season-best seven batters in 5.2 innings worked but was charged with the loss.
Mansfield got its first run when Schanzenbacher led off the fourth inning with a home run over the left field fence and got two more in the seventh when Dave Gueck doubled and was doubled home by Scott Rockewll. Schanzenbacher drove in the final run on a fielder's choice.
Matt Swarmer went the distance for Kutztown striking out nine to pick up his fifth win of the season.
Zephan Kash and Rockwell each had two hits for Mansfield.
Mansfield travels to Penn College for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday.
