Kutztown set for PIAA quarterfinal against South Williamsport

Kutztown will bid for consecutive wins in the PIAA Tournament for the first time in 14 years when it meets South Williamsport Thursday at Pine Grove at 6 in a Class 2A quarterfinal.

The District 3 champion Cougars (18-6) advanced with an 8-4 win over District 2 champ Elk Lake Monday on the Warriors’ home field.

Kutztown hasn’t reached the state semifinals since 2007, when it won its first three PIAA games before losing in the championship game to Bald Eagle.

The Cougars, who have won 9-of-10, figure to have senior Bryce Schafer on the mound Thursday. He pitched a complete game in a 5-1 win over Halifax in the district championship game. Schafer is 5-2 with a 2.02 ERA.

The Mountaineers (15-5) could return their top pitcher, junior Noah Turner. He threw 74 pitches Monday in a 3-1 win over Schuylkill Haven. Turner is 8-1 with a 3.10 ERA and 50 strikeouts over 58 2/3 innings.

South Williamsport was the No. 1 seed in the District 4 Tournament before losing to Wyalusing 10-1 in the championship game.

The Warriors won their PIAA Tournament opener last year, beating Holy Cross 13-1, before losing to eventual Class 2A champ Everett 8-4 in the quarterfinals. The win over Schuylkill Haven was the just the fourth in PIAA Tournament play in program history.

The Cougars are 10-9 all time in state play, including 7-5 under current coach Tim Mertz. They snapped a three-game state playoff losing streak with Monday’s win.

Sophomore Colten Mathias started and pitched six innings, allowing nine hits and four runs, one earned.

Third baseman Kole Schuler went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and four stolen bases to lead a 14-hit attack.  He’s batting a team-best .443.

Dominick Pizzelanti went 3-for-4 and scored twice to raise his batting average to .410.

Alex Neidig is the Mounts’ top hitter at .423 and leads the team with 20 RBIs. Kaden Shay is batting .415 with a team-leading 28 runs scored and 25 stolen bases. Tadd Lusk has a .614 slugging percentage and a 1.135 OPS.

South Williamsport hasn’t hit well in recent games. It had just four hits Monday and 10 over its last three games. It was limited to one hit in the loss to Wyalusing. It has scored five runs in its last three games.

The Cougars, meanwhile, are averaging 8.9 runs over their last 10 games. They were limited to four hits and two runs by Jake Karnish and Ryan Moser of Fleetwood in a 5-2 loss in a Berks League quarterfinal May 11 but otherwise haven’t been slowed. They have 34 hits and 24 runs over their last three games.

There are two games scheduled earlier in the day at Stump Stadium. At 1, District 1 champ Strath Haven meets District 4 champ Selinsgrove in a Class 5A quarterfinal. At 3:30, District 4 champ Hughesville meets District 11 champ Saucon Valley at 3:30 in a Class 3A quarterfinal.