KITCHELL ALLOWS 1 HIT, FANS 16 IN 9-0 VICTORY

Nate Kitchell took the mound Monday wanting to stop Stroudsburg’s uncharacteristic three-game losing streak to start the season. The senior left-hander did that and a whole lot more. Kitchell had his no-hitter broken up in the seventh when pinch hitter Eli Johnson slapped a clean single to right. Kitchell settled for a gem of a start, which included 16 strikeouts against just two walks as the Mounties beat East Stroudsburg South 9-0 in Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Mountain Division baseball action Monday. After losses to Muhlenberg, Pocono Mountain East and Parkland, it was Kitchell’s fastball and change-of-pace curve that kept the Cavaliers from doing much of anything offensively. Eastburg South put the ball in play just three times against Kitchell – Dakota Kross managing two grounders before Johnson’s single in the seventh. “My arm felt great,” Kitchell said after his second start of the year. “When it’s warmer out, the ball goes.” The senior struck out at least two batters in every inning, and he fanned three batters in the second inning sandwiched around a walk, and struck out the side in order in the third inning. He also struck out three batters in the fifth inning. Stroudsburg coach Phil Stokes called pitches, but it didn’t seem to matter what Kitchell threw because Eastburg South wasn’t catching up to it. “To see Nate deal like that, that was good stuff,” Stokes said. “Sometimes he has a tendency to overthrow. Today he was pretty much locked in on his pitches. His curveball was fantastic and his fastball is enough that the change of speed is hard for hitters.” The Mounties’ offense did enough to back up Kitchell. Stroudsburg scored two unearned runs in the first thanks to a pair of Eastburg errors. Ben Stokes added a sacrifice fly in the second inning and Emmett McCauley did the same in the third for a 4-0 lead. That was plenty of room for Kitchell, who was reminded by his teammates after the fifth inning that he hadn’t allowed a hit. “A couple of guys said it,” Kitchell said. “I told them to be quiet.” Methodically, Stroudsburg added to its runs total. Two runs scored on a wild pitch in the fifth for an 8-0 lead, and in the sixth inning Brett Yarnall collected his fourth hit of the game and scored on a double steal. With a pitch count hanging over his head in the seventh, Kitchell had about 11 pitches to get three outs. He didn’t quite make it. Kitchell hit pinch-hitter Colin Curry to lead off the inning, and then Johnson followed with a single, ending Kitchell’s day. Reliver Jordan Livingston came in and fanned the next three batters to end the game. It was a solid start to a week in which Stroudsburg is counting on some victories. The Mounties play East Stroudsburg North today and then take on Pocono Mountain West Friday. “This week we have three games that we need to win to get back in contention, so this was the start,” Kitchell said. Beau Breithaupt went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Adam Pembleton had three hits for the Mounties. Stroudsburg 9, ES South 0

KITCHELL ALLOWS 1 HIT, FANS 16 IN 9-0 VICTORY

Photo Credit: Keith R Stevenson

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