21^st-ranked Kutztown cut a 13-point deficit to three with just two bouts left, but Pitt-Johnstown All-American Dakoda Rodgers won a major decision at 197 lbs. sealed a 29-16 PSAC victory for the 11^th-ranked Mountain Cat wrestlers, Friday night in the Sports Center.  Pitt-Johnstown made it five straight wins and improved to 7-2 overall and 2-0 in the PSAC.
 
Eighth-ranked Trevon Gray got Pitt-Johnstown off to a good start when he pinned Nic Allison at 5:50 in the opening bout at 125 lbs., but Kutztown's Javien DeLeon answered right back at 133 lbs. by pinning Tyson Cook with eight seconds left in the third period to quickly tie it.
 
The Mountain Cat regained the lead at 141 lbs. with Maon Myers' 16-4 major decision over Joey Ortega, and Chad Ozias erased a 7-0 deficit and pinned 18^th-ranked Jimmy Ryan at 6:39 to give Pitt-Johnstown a 16-6 advantage.
 
After Cooper Warshel's 4-1 decision over Ali Alicea at 157 lbs. increased the Pitt-Johnstown lead to 19-6, the Golden Bears followed with three wins of their own.  At 165 lbs., 11^th-ranked Bailey Gimbor held off Gavyn Beck, 3-1, and 18^th-ranked Dalton Gimbor locked up a 6-1 decision win over Tony Salopek at 174 lbs.  Kutztown then used No. 2 Matt Weinberg's 15-2 major decision over Noah Gnibus at 197 lbs. to narrow the gap to 19-16 with two bouts remaining.
 
However, Rodgers, ranked sixth nationally at 197 lbs., jumped out to an early lead on Wayne McIntyre and locked up the Mountain Cat victory at 197 lbs. with his 19-6 major decision, before fourth-ranked Isaiah Vance pinned Liam Akers at 1:26 to close it out at 285 lbs.
 
With the loss, the Golden Bears slipped to 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC.
 
The Mountain Cats travel to the Frostburg State (MD) Duals on Sunday to take on the hosts, Belmont Abbey (NC) and Shippensburg, before going to Seton Hill for a PSAC match on Jan. 24.  Pitt-Johnstown will celebrate Winterfest Weekend and Senior Night when nationally-ranked Gannon visits the Sports Center on Feb. 14 for a conference match.