Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader from Mansfield to Open Series vs Mountaineers
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University baseball team (20-5-1, 9-5) extended its winning streak to 10 games with a doubleheader sweep (6-4, 5-3) of Mansfield (7-20, 3-15) at Serpico Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Due to the amount of rain over the last week, West Chester finds itself hosting all four games against the Mountaineers this weekend, and despite batting first and serving as the visitors on the scoreboard throughout today's doubleheader, West Chester looked right at home rolling to a 6-4 victory in game one and a 5-3 win in the nightcap.
Game One: WCU 6 Mansfield 4
In the first game of the day, West Chester jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second courtesy of an RBI single by Darius Troche (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and a defensive miscue by the Mounties; however, this lead was short lived as Mansfield countered with three runs of its own in the home half to tie the score back at 3-3.
After two scoreless innings, West Chester exploded in the fifth, scoring three more runs. Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) and Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) both laced RBI singles, while Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) was hit by a pitch to score Boccio for the Golden Rams' sixth and final run of the game.
Mansfield would not go away quietly on Saturday afternoon, loading the bases with no one out in the seventh. Faced with a bases-loaded jam and a three-run lead, head coach Mike LaRosa and the Golden Rams made a decision that has become very familiar to Golden Ram fans in recent years: They turned to Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) to close it out. Lazer entered and got a good result almost immediately, getting a double-play ball, which traded a run for two outs before ending the game with a grounder to shortstop.
Lazer picked up his third save of the year in relief while David Ferguson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) (4-0) earned the victory in relief, pitching four stellar innings, scattering two hits and one run while walking one and striking out a pair. Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) earned the start and pitched the first 1.2 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk while striking out a pair. Dylan Howanitz (Archbald, Pa./Valley View) finished the second for West Chester with a strikeout, which was also the lone batter the junior would face.
Austin Lewis got the start and the loss for Mansfield in game one, allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits while walking a pair and striking out three in 4.1 innings of work.
Six different Golden Rams registered hits for West Chester in the victory, led by Kaleck, who was 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Game Two: WCU 5 Mansfield 3
West Chester jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the nightcap and never wavered as the Golden Rams cruised to a 5-3 victory over Mansfield.
West Chester scored its first run of the game in the top of the first when Drew Simpson (Hockessin, De./Delaware Military Academy) worked a bases-loaded walk, which scored Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) (2-for-4) who had singled up the middle to start the game.
West Chester doubled its lead in the top of the second when Szestowicki found his way home via a balk, which also moved Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) up to second.
Mansfield got this run back quickly, using an RBI single into center in the home second to cut the West Chester lead to 2-1, but cutting the lead down to one was as close as the Mounties would get after a big fourth inning by the Golden Rams.
West Chester scored four in the top of the fourth thanks to a pair of RBI singles by John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) and Simpson along with an RBI sac bunt from Boccio, to break the one-run game wide open.
In the home fourth, Mansfield applied pressure to the West Chester defense and managed to squeeze out a run, as Jacob Houtz swiped third and scored on this play after a throwing error, which cut the West Chester lead to 5-2.
The Mounties continued their ill-fated comeback bid in the sixth with an RBI single to right field, but West Chester escaped the inning with a strikeout to keep the lead at two heading into the seventh. West Chester had little trouble closing the game out in the seventh, facing just one batter over the minimum in the frame to finish off the doubleheader sweep.
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) was excellent for West Chester on Saturday, pitching five solid innings, allowing just two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out five. Lazer continued his busy day, entering for the sixth and allowing one run on three hits while striking out three. Howanitz and Gannon Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) combined for a painless seventh to close out the victory.
Eric Gustofson suffered the loss for Mansfield as he worked the first 3.2, allowing five runs (all earned) on nine hits and three walks while striking out seven. Garrett Emerick was excellent in relief for Mansfield, entering in the fourth and working 2.1 scoreless innings against the high-powered Golden Ram offense while striking out four of the 12 batters he faced.
Up Next:
West Chester and Mansfield will conclude their series on Sunday afternoon at Serpico Stadium beginning at 1 p.m.
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