Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader from Bloomsburg to Open Series vs Huskies
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) delivered another excellent complete-game performance in game one and the Golden Rams scored 19 runs in two games to roll to a doubleheader sweep of Bloomsburg (12-21, 8-14) on a sun-soaked Sunday afternoon in West Chester. West Chester (27-5, 13-5) captured game one by a final of 6-1 before seeing its offense explode for 13 runs, including 11 in the fifth in a 13-1 game two victory.
Game One: WCU 6 Bloomsburg 1
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) was dominant in the first game of the afternoon for West Chester as he went the distance on the mound, scattering just three hits and one run, while walking a pair and striking out seven to improve to 6-2 on the year.
West Chester scored its first run of the game in the second, as Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. This was all West Chester would get in that half-inning as Bloomsburg escaped the jam, trailing by just one.
The Huskies tied the game up at 1-1 in the top of the fifth, but West Chester countered quickly with a two-RBI double by Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) and an RBI single by Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) to carry a 4-1 lead into the sixth.
Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) added two more runs to the Golden Rams advantage in the sixth with a bases-loaded double down the left field line, scoring John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) and Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy), as the homestanding Golden Rams rolled to a 6-1 victory over the visiting Huskies.
Nate Baranski got the start and lasted just three innings, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four. Daniel Koppisch took the loss on the mound to fall to 2-2 on the year, allowing five runs on three hits in 2.2 while striking out three in the setback.
Game Two: WCU 13 Bloomsburg 1
In the second game of the afternoon, Bloomsburg scratched across a run in the first inning for its first and only lead of the day; however, this lead was short-lived as an Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) laced an RBI single, for the first of his five RBI on the afternoon, in the home half of the first evened the score at 1-1.
West Chester took the lead back in the second after an RBI double by Miles and exploded for 11 runs on nine hits in the fifth, forcing Bloomsburg to turn to its bullpen twice to escape the big inning.
Kaleck started the scoring in the fifth with an RBI single and came around to score moments later as Boccio cleared the bases with a three-RBI double, which gave West Chester a commanding 6-1 lead. Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./Delaware Military Academy) doubled home Boccio a few batters later and later scored, along with Szestowicki on an RBI single from Darius Troche (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin). This ended the day for Bloomsburg starter Will Dean (3-5) as he exited with his side trailing 9-1. DeMucci kept the line moving with an RBI single of his own to plate Miles, who had reached on a fielders choice earlier in the inning, stretching the lead to 10-1. Boccio followed this up with a walk, which scored Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman), extending the advantage to 11-1. West Chester put the finishing touches on its big inning with a two-RBI single off the bat of Spencer, which plated DeMucci and Kaleck, moving the score to 13-1 in favor of the Golden Rams.
West Chester showed its balance offensively in the game two victory, as five Golden Rams recorded multi-hit games, including a 3-for-4 effort by Miles and a 2-for-3 effort by Boccio, along with five RBI for the graduate student. Profy also went 2-for-3 with a team-best three runs scored in game two, while DeMucci and Spencer were 2-for-4 on the afternoon.
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) was excellent on the mound, pitching five strong innings, surrendering just one run on three hits and a walk while striking out four. Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) entered in relief and turned in two solid innings out of the pen for the Golden Rams, scattering just two walks while fanning three to secure the game-two victory and a doubleheader sweep.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action tomorrow at Bloomsburg in doubleheader action beginning at 1 p.m.
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