Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Sophomore right-hander Will Kleva (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) threw seven shutout innings, and junior catcher Michael Donohue (Livingston, N.J./Livingston) and senior designated hitter Brian Pernice (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown) drove in three runs apiece to help the Bullets to a 7-4 victory against Arcadia in non-conference action on Tuesday morning. Gettysburg has won two in a row since having a six-game winning streak snapped on Monday.
Kleva scattered six hits over seven innings for the Bullets (8-1) and struck out four while walking just one. Donohue was 2-for-3 with a walk, three RBI and a pair of runs scored, and Pernice was 2-for-3 with three RBI. He also scored once and was hit by a pitch.
Junior center fielder Eric Console led the Knights (2-2) with three hits in five at bats. He scored once. Freshman catcher Kevin Kolodgie added a pair of hits in four trips.
Gettysburg got the scoring started with a single run in the bottom of the second. Pernice led off and was hit by a pitch. He was sacrificed to second by sophomore shortstop Sam Stabert (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion) and went to third on a ground out by senior left fielder Mark Campo (Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville). Senior right fielder Chase Straub (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) plated Pernice with a single. Gettysburg would add another run in the third on an RBI single by Donohue that scored senior third baseman Ben Carey (Colchester, Conn./St. Bernard).
Arcadia threatened in the top of the fourth when junior second baseman Ken Spangenberg led off with a triple. That is all the farther he would get though, as Kleva induced a pair of comebackers and a fly out to escape with no damage done.
The Bullets then broke the game open with a three-run fifth. Freshman second baseman Mike Backus (Piscataway, N.J./Immaculata) reached on an error, and junior center fielder Sean McGee (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) walked. They would both score on a two-run double by Donohue, who added the third run on a single by Pernice.
Gettysburg extended the lead to 7-0 with a two-out rally in the seventh. Senior first baseman Joe Bonyai (Torrington, Conn./Hotchkiss School) singled and stole second. Donohue walked, and both runners moved up on a wild pitch, allowing them both to score on a single by Pernice.
That would be the end of the day for Kleva, and the Knights quickly went to work, scoring three unearned runs. An RBI single by freshman third baseman Nick Goetz and a two-run double by sophomore designated hitter Dan Morris cut the deficit to four runs at 7-3. Arcadia added a run in the ninth, loading the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly by Spangenberg plated Console, and a walk by senior first baseman John Connell loaded the bases again, prompting Bullet skipper John Campo to go to the bullpen again.
He brought in freshman righty Packer Larson (Newark, Del./St. Mark's), who retired the only batter he faced to secure his first career save in his collegiate debut.
The Bullets will have Wednesday off before returning to action on Thursday, again taking on Arcadia. The game will begin at 10:30 a.m. in St. Petersburg, Fla.
