KUTZTOWN – In their final road games of the season, the Mansfield University baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Kutztown University on Friday afternoon after leading both games to start. 
 
The Mountaineers will return to Mansfield on Saturday to close out the season and host the Golden Bears on Senior Day at Shaute Field.
 
In the first game on Friday, Mansfield jumped out to a 1-0 lead in their first at-bats. Brady Mengel singled to right field, bringing home Josh Kulina as the first run of the game - and the series - against Kutztown. The Golden Bears scored a run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game.
 
Since Mengel's single in the first, Mansfield was held hitless from there until the sixth inning, when the second baseman came to the plate again. Mengel ended up 2-for-2, with both of Mansfield's hits in the game, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Brittain Shander also walked and stole a base, but Gavilan Fogarty-Harnish was able to earn his third win of the season for Kutztown thanks to a three-run outburst in the third inning which the Mounties were unable to respond to.
 
Hunter DePrimo picked up the loss after going four innings and striking out six Golden Bears. Freshman Sean Heery threw two scoreless innings of relief, which included a strikeout.
 
GAME 2
The Mounties were able to jump out to a 1-0 lead yet again in the second game of the afternoon. This time, Camren Ney led off with a single to right field in the top of the second inning.  Dom Lopez followed with a single, and Jake Haas was able to do a job by plating Ney on a sacrifice fly.
 
Mansfield wouldn't be able to pick up another hit until the fifth inning, and by then the Golden Bears had scored two runs in the third frame to take the lead. Josh Kulina and Brady Mengel led the fifth inning off with singles.  Mengel's hit advanced Kulina to third, but was fielded poorly and Kulina was able to race home and tie the game at 2-2. 
 
Tyler Guidos was also hit by his 12^th pitch of the season in the fifth inning. The junior ranks fourth in the hit by pitch category in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
 
The game didn't stay tied long, however.  Over the bottom halves of the fifth and sixth innings, Kutztown strung together seven runs on six hits to take a commanding 9-2 lead.
 
Brittain Shander and Tyler Guidos each singled in the top of the seventh inning, but it was too-little too-late as Nick McAuliffe was able to come in and take the win as the pitcher of decision for his 2.2 innings worth of work.
 
Bryce Zaparzynski and Jake Manke threw in the second game.  Zaparzynski recorded two strikeouts in five innings.
 
Shander finished 2-for-4 at the plate as five other Mounties recorded hits. Ney, Haas, and Koty Fitzgerald each worked walks.
 
For Kutztown, a majority of the damage was done by a few players.  Mike Villa and Jake Augustus both went 2-for-3 with doubles and two runs scored. Villa and Tanner Miller, who went 3-for-4, each had three RBI's.  The Golden Bears spread 11 hits throughout the game.
 
On Saturday, Mansfield will be recognizing seniors Camren Ney, Joseph DePerno, Chase Pepper, Tom Heenan, Evan McAndrew, and Billy Gregory. They will each be honored prior to the start of Saturday's games. The ceremony will feature their career recognitions as well as the presentation of their senior gifts.
 
Evan McAndrew is slated to pitch on Saturday, coming into the weekend with 148 career strikeouts.  The Schnecksville native is two strikeouts away from breaking into Mansfield University's Top-10. Mike Deiter sits at tenth with 150 strikeouts for his career between 1973 and 1976.
 
Stay up-to-date on the status of the games and access all the live coverage links at GoMounties.com or through the official @MUMounties social media platforms.  Both games on Saturday will feature live stats and a broadcast by Drew Patrick and Bob Michaels.  The broadcast is presented by Mounties All-Access and made possible by Visit Potter-Tioga.