West Chester Sweeps Doubleheader and Season Series From Bloomsburg
WEST CHESTER, PA – West Chester University came from behind in both games of a doubleheader against Bloomsburg to complete a sweep on Tuesday afternoon at sun-splashed Serpico Stadium.
West Chester (29-5, 15-5 PSAC East) ran its current winning streak to 19 games with the two wins Tuesday. Bloomsburg (12-23, 8-16) played as the home team at Serpico due to their field being unplayable after a storm blew over its outfield fence over the weekend.
The Golden Rams' 19-game win streak is the second-longest such streak in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) this spring behind East Stroudsburg's 25-game run earlier this year. It is also one game shy of the school's all-time mark of 20 set during the 2012 national championship campaign. It also marked the third straight four-game sweep of a season series in conference play.
Bloomsburg got to West Chester starter, Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), in the bottom of the first inning of game one to take an early 3-0 lead. However, West Chester responded with three runs in each of the third, fourth and seventh innings to complete the comeback.
Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) walked and stole second to lead off the top of the third for the Golden Rams. Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) singled him home and then stole second himself to put the Purple & Gold on the board. After Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) walked, he and Kaleck pulled off a successful double-steal to put runners on second and third with two outs. Kaleck crossed on a wild pitch that sent Boccio to third, and Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) tripled in Boccio for the third run of the frame that tied the game at 3-3.
West Chester quickly went back at it again in the fourth when Kaleck was hit by a pitch with one out and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. He later stole third, and John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) walked. Boccio greeted Bloomsburg reliever Dylan Lubinski with a two-run triple, and Szestowicki hit a sacrifice fly to score Boccio making it a 6-3 game after four.
The Golden Rams loaded the bases in the seventh and pushed across a run when the Huskies' shortstop made an error. Boccio hit a sacrifice fly, and Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) hit a run-scoring single.
David Ferguson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) relieved Sperone with two outs and runners on the corners in the first. He got the Golden Rams out of the inning without anymore damage and then pitched the next three innings to pick up his third win of the season. He allowed one hit, walked two and struck out three, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
In the night cap, West Chester scored in five of the seven innings. The Golden Rams put up single tallies in the first, second, fourth and sixth while putting up a pair of runs in the fifth. The Huskies briefly jumped in front 4-2 with a four-run third. They tied the game at 5-apiece with a run in the fifth. But, could not get the equalizer following West Chester's run in the sixth.
Boccio hit a two-out triple to right-center and scored on single to left by Spencer. That two-out rally was all the Golden Rams needed after handing the game over to Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) who earned his first college save.
Boccio finished the twinbill 3-for-5 with a pair of triples and three RBI. Spencer was 4-for-6 with three RBI as well. Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) got the win in the second game to improve to 3-1 overall. He pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief during the fifth and sixth frames, striking out three.
West Chester returns to action on Friday with another conference doubleheader at Shepherd beginning at 1 p.m.
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