West Chester Sweeps No. 10 East Stroudsburg; Claims Season Series
WEST CHESTER, PA – Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) laced a base-hit with the bases loaded through a drawn-in infield in the bottom of the seventh inning for a walk-off win in game one. Then, Casey Vaughan came up with a triple down the right-field line with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first of game two as host West Chester swept a conference doubleheader from No. 10 East Stroudsburg Saturday afternoon at Serpico Stadium.
West Chester (35-7, 21-7 PSAC East) drew closer to idle Millersville for second place in the Eastern Division standings of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. East Stroudsburg (35-9, 23-5) remains in first place.
Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) led off the seventh with a single up the middle off reliever Nick McAuliffe. Mark Elliott (Somers Point, N.J./Mainland Regional) pinch ran for him. Julia Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) then walked and was pinch ran for by John Dunion (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum). A passed ball moved up both pinch runners, and ESU brought the infield in. Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) grounded out to second for the first out of the inning, and both runners held. That's when Profy pulled a ball in between first and second base that got through for the game-winning hit.
The RBI single made a winner out of Dylan Howanitz (Archbald, Pa./Valley View), who improved to 4-0 on the year.
Starters Gavin Sopko and Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) matched each other pitch-for-pitch through five innings. East Stroudsburg scored one run in the top of the first, and West Chester scratched one across in the bottom of the second. That's how things stayed until the Golden Rams broke through in the seventh.
In the nightcap, West Chester scored five in the bottom of the first and took control of the game early. East Stroudsburg starter, Peyton Brannock, retired the first two batters he faced. However, three walks and a hit by pitch followed, and the Golden Rams had one run across and the bases loaded.
That's when Vaughan dropped a single down the right-field line that was fair by only inches. All three base runners came around to score, and Vaughan ran home when ESU's right fielder threw wild to third trying to get Vaughan.
West Chester added one in the fourth to make it 6-0. ESU got that run back in the top of the fifth, making it a 6-1 ballgame. However, the Golden Rams responded with a three-spot in their half of the sixth to jump in front 9-1. The Warriors scored an unearned run on starter Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./Delaware Military School) in the sixth. But that was all they could muster.
The Warriors dropped their first conference series of the season as the Golden Rams took three of four games over the weekend.
Game two's starting pitching matchup featured two true freshmen, who were high school teammates with Brannock facing Simpson. The Golden Rams' Simpson lasted five innings, scattering three hits, walking one and striking out four. He improved to 5-1 on the year. Brannock fell to 4-2 on the season in taking the loss.
Vaughan finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
West Chester will host Millersville on Thursday in its final regular season home game at 1 p.m. at Serpico Stadium. The two teams will then finish their four-game season-ending conference series on Friday at Cooper Park in Millersville at 1 p.m.
Latest Top Athletics News
- West Chester Hangs on to Claim PSAC ChampionshipSLIPPERY ROCK, PA – West Chester withstood a 3 hour, 13 minute rain delay and a valiant comeback bid from East Stroudsburg to take the 2024 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Game, 12-11, Saturday afternoon at Jack Critchfield Park.
- Softball Concludes 2024 Season with Pair of Losses to Charleston in Pod FinalCHARLESTON, W.V.- Following a win over regional host Charleston (49-5) on Friday afternoon, the West Chester University softball team (36-22) dropped a pair of games to the Golden Eagles on Saturday, dropping game one by an 8-6 final before falling in the nightcap by a 7-1 final. The Golden Rams game two setback brought their historic 2024 season to its conclusion, finishing just one game shy of the Super Regionals after starting a perfect 6-0 postseason for the first time since 2017.
- Men's Track and Field Concludes Regular Season at WCU Last Chance MeetWEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University men's track and field squad wrapped up its 2024 regular season on Friday night at the WCU Last Chance Invitational under the lights of a rain-soaked John A. Farrell Stadium on the campus of West Chester University.
- West Chester Starts Slow, Finishes Strong En Route to PSAC Semifinal WinGREENSBURG, PA – Sr. Hannah Stanislawczyk (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) and Fr., Kendall Fortune (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) each scored three times while So., Amanda Wolfe (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) enjoyed a four-point afternoon as West Chester advanced to the championship game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament with a 14-6 victory over Slippery Rock Friday.
- Women's Track and Field Competes in WCU Last Chance InvitationalWEST CHESTER, Pa.-The West Chester University women's track and field team returned to the track on Friday night for one final meet under the lights of John A. Farrell Stadium as the Golden Rams hosted the WCU Last Chance Invitational on a rainy Friday evening in West Chester. West Chester earned three event victories on Friday night, winning the 100, 800, and 5K in front of its home crowd.
- Softball Prepares for Rematch vs Third-Seeded Charleston in Pod Final on Saturday Afternoon at 12 p.m.CHARLESTON, W.V.- After defeating third-seeded Charleston (W.V.) (47-5) by a 2-1 final earlier today, the West Chester University softball team (36-20) finds itself just one win shy of a return trip to the Super Regionals heading into Championship Saturday as the Purple and Gold look to go unbeaten for the second week in a row. In order to complete this task and improve to 7-0 in the postseason, West Chester will need to defeat Charleston tomorrow in another elimination game for the Golden Eagles beginning at 12 p.m. at the Watt Powell Annex in Charleston, West Virginia. Should West Chester drop its first game tomorrow, it will be the Golden Ram's first loss since the last Saturday of the regular season and first postseason loss; however, it will not end the season as an if-necessary game would be played following that conclusion.