West Chester Captures Bill Giles Championship, 9-5
PHILADELPHIA – West Chester scored five runs in the top of the 10th inning and shut down Jefferson in the bottom half to claim the 2024 Bill Giles Classic championship, 9-5, at Citizens Bank Park Wednesday afternoon.
West Chester (25-5) increased its winning streak to 15 games with the win while capturing its 15th Bill Giles title. Jefferson (20-11) dropped the championship game to the Golden Rams for the second straight year.
Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) was placed on second base at the beginning of the inning. Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) led off with a sacrifice bunt that was thrown away. Boccio scored on the error, and Spencer raced around to third base. Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) singled home Spencer and then moved up to second on a wild pitch. Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) doubled home Szestowicki and sent Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview), who was hit by a pitch, to third. Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) then hit a sacrifice fly to score Costa. Vaughan later scored on a walk to Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) when the fourth ball in the at bat was a wild pitch.
Jefferson's runner placed on second in the bottom of the 10th came around to score. But, that was all the Rams could muster against Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove). Costa, who pitched the ninth, got credit for the win to improve to 5-2 on the year.
Profy, whose two-run homer in the second tied the game at two, finished 3-for-5 with three RBI. Szestowicki went 2-for-5 with three RBI as well. Six different pitchers allowed five runs on 10 hits while striking out 10 batters. Costa fanned five in 2 2/3 innings. Noga k'd the final two hitters of the game to put an end to Jefferson's comeback bid.
West Chester jumps back into conference play for the rest of the season beginning on Friday with a twinbill at Serpico Stadium against Bloomsburg.
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