Box Score
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Fred Breidenbach scattered six hits over eight innings as West Chester blanked Kutztown, 3-0, to remain unbeaten at the 2013 PSAC Baseball Tournament at Point Stadium and advance to the conference semifinals on Friday.
West Chester (24-23-1) advances to the semifinals of the double-elimination tournament and will take on the winner of Gannon vs. Millersville. The Golden Rams will take the field at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow night. That game will be broadcast live on YouStream by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Breidenbach (4-4) threw eight innings to even his record on the season. Kyle Weary came on in the ninth to pick up his team-leading third save of the year. Breidy kept the Golden Bears off balance all afternoon with three very effective pitches.
“He located three pitches very well today,” said second-year head coach Jad Prachniak. “We’ve been fortunate that our starting pitching has gone deep into each game so far. They have put up a lot of zeroes, and that has allowed us to keep our bullpen fresh.”
The win upped West Chester’s postseason winning streak to 14 games. It also marked the third consecutive shutout over Kutztown, dating back to last season.
“There is a certain calm about this team in the playoffs,” Breidenbach pointed out. “I think our experience in the postseason is a factor.”
“They certainly are playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Prachniak added. “It hasn’t been perfect baseball. But, when they do make a mistake, they are doing a good job of getting on to the next play.”
West Chester scored a pair of runs in the fourth inning when Nick Bonadies delivered a two-run single up the middle with one out. Justin Lamborn and Chris Pula hit back-to-back singles, and Jordan Wlodarczyk sacrificed them over.
Woody singled home Lamborn in the eighth for an insurance tally. But, Breidenbach made sure the Golden Rams would not need it. West Chester scored three runs on 10 hits. It marked the fifth straight contest in which the Rams reached double figures in hits and six of the last seven altogether.
“The hitters just seem to have perfect timing right now,” Breidenbach said. “They have worked so hard all season, and now things are clicking for them. They have a more confident approach.”
Pula finished the day 3-for-4. He got a hit in each of his first three times to the plate, making him 8-for-8 in the PSAC Tournament to that point. He flew out to left in his final at bat in the eighth inning, ending his consecutive hit streak. Bonadies finished 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI as well.
Millersville defeated Slippery Rock, 5-0, in the first game of the morning. That was the final first-round contest, which was postponed due to rain Wednesday night. Millersville’s win made it a clean sweep for the Eastern Division over the West in the first round.
Cal beat Mercyhurst, 8-6, eliminating the Lakers from the tournament, and Gannon then defeated Slippery Rock, 9-3, knocking The Rock out of the playoffs. East Stroudsburg upset Millersville, 6-2.
