Red Raiders Nipped by No. 3 Kutztown, 2-1

April 11, 2007

Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg pitching staff held No.3-ranked Kutztown to just one hit and two runs in the game, but the one hit proved to be all the Golden Bears would need. Sean Bond singled in two runs in the seventh, and Jason Mills tossed a complete game to help Kutztown squeak by the Red Raiders 2-1 at Fairchild Field Wednesday afternoon.

The loss was just the third in the last 16 games for the Red Raiders (16-13). Kutztown (27-2), meanwhile, boosted its winning streak to 11 games.

Junior Justin Garber (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown) got things started in the first inning with a single to right centerfield. The ball skipped off the glove of centerfielder Ryan Loper, allowing Garber to advance to third. Two batters later, senior Brandon White (State College/State College) singled to right, giving Ship a 1-0 lead.

Shippensburg's red-shirt freshman starter Phil Harnick (Lancaster/Hempfield), making the first start of his career, kept Kutztown off-balance and off the scoreboard. The Golden Bears entered the game with a team batting average of .331, but Harnick held them without a hit and struck out nine batters through 6.2 innings of work.

Kutztown, however, continually worked the count, and earned seven walks before Harnick ran out of gas and turned the ball over to sophomore Andrew Burke (Chambersburg/Chambersburg) with two on and two out int he bottom of the seventh. Bond responded with Kutztown's lone hit of the game, which scored Garrison Rausch and Mike Kacelowicz.

Shippensburg put runners on base in the seventh and the ninth innings, but failed to score on both occassions.

Mills earned the mound win for Kutztown and improved to 5-0 on the season. He scattered five hits, struck out three and walked two while allowing just one unearned run. Harnick (0-1) suffered the loss for Shippensburg. Burke pitched 0.2 innings and sophomore Matt Wright (McClure/Mid-West) struck out two and faced the minimum through the final 1.2 innings.

Ship was led at the plate by White, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The Red Raiders return to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division action on Friday at Falconi Field in Washington, Pa., as they take on California (Pa.) at 1 p.m. Coverage o the game can be heard on 88.7 FM WSYC and on the Internet at www.wsyc.org.

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