Box Score
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Matt Cotollese went 3-for-4 with three RBI and three stolen bases as No. 20 West Chester jumped on Mercy early and handed the game over to its pitching staff to close things out on a 7-1 victory at the Ripken Experience wood bat tournament in Myrtle Beach on Saturday night.
West Chester (2-0) scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, chasing Mercy’s starter after just seven batters, and never looked back. David Slusser (1-0) started and went six strong innings without allowing a run on four hits and striking out four.
Nick Spisak led off the game with a walk and then stole second base. Kyle Bechter followed with a walk. Then, Cotollese delivered a RBI single to right field, scoring Spisak and sending Bechter to third. Cotollese stole second before Drew Pare grounded out to shortstop, scoring Bechter.
Cotollese then stole third base and would later score on a wild pitch.
Charlie Kelly started things up once again with a walk. Blair Dameron followed with a grounder back to the mound. However, Mercy’s hurler, Eric Dodge, threw wildly to second base in an attempt to nail Kelly and everybody was safe. Kevin McGrath was hit by a pitch and Dodge was lifted from the game after getting just one batter out.
West Chester tacked on three more runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning to increase its lead to 6-0. Cotollese again delivered the damaging blow with a two-run single up the middle, scoring Frank Nunan and Spisak. Kelly unleashed a RBI double to right that scored Bechter two batters later while Cotollese was gunned down at the plate trying to score on the play.
Kelly finished 2-for-3 with that RBI double, and Spisak and Bechter each scored two runs for the Golden Rams.
West Chester added another run in the sixth to make it 7-0 when McGrath was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Cotollese, who had reached on an error by Mercy’s third baseman.
Cory Broderick relieved Slusser and lasted two innings, allowing one unearned run, two hits and striking out three. Mike Cope pitched a scoreless ninth for the Rams.
