Orange, Calif. (3/11/13) – Senior Kevin Herget set a new Kean career standard in strikeouts, but Chapman University used a key inning to get past Kean University by the final of 3-1, Monday evening.

It was has become a coast-to-coast rivalry, Chapman holds the advantage winning 11 times in 17 meetings.  With today's win, the Panthers improve to 10-8 this season while the Cougars fall to 7-3 overall.

Herget (pictured left) now stands with 277 strikeouts, besting the mark of 270 set by former Cougar Joe Bartlinski.

The Panthers snapped a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning as freshman Matt Gandy hit a full count, two outs, bases loaded two RBI single up the middle.

Kean had its first two batters in the eighth inning promptly reach base off of Chapman reliever Matt Molnar (1-0).  Closer Taber Watson entered the game and struck out the next three batters to get out of the jam and then struck out the first batter he faced in the ninth en route to his fifth save of the year. Watson has not allowed an earned run in 20.1 innings this season, with 32 strikeouts.

In his collegiate debut, Connor Williams tossed five and two thirds innings, surrendering Kean's only run in the sixth.  That run came off a bases loaded, infield single off the bat of sophomore Anthony Fischetti.

The Panthers jumped on top in the first inning when Molnar hit a one-out double and junior Connor Battaglia singled him in two batters later. Molnar was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs in the game.

Herget (1-1) allowed three runs and eight hits in six and a third innings.  He fanned eight and walked four.

The Cougars get right back to action on Tuesday when they face Ithaca College in a neutral matchup at Pomona-Pitzer College beginning at 11 a.m. local time.