Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Matt Cotellese hit a two-run home run and Bob Stumpo opened the flood gates in the fifth inning with a bases loaded double that cleared the bases as No. 9 West Chester defeated visiting Bloomfield, 14-9, Tuesday afternoon at Serpico Stadium.
With the win, West Chester improved its season-opening winning streak to 11 games. Bloomfield (5-11) has now lost five of its last six.
Stumpo ripped a two-out, two-strike offering from Deacons’ starter Julio Nunez into the right-center field gap that chased home all three Golden Rams on base in the bottom half of the fifth inning. Nunez retired the first two batters of the frame before hitting Blair Dameron and Kevin McGrath and then walking Jake Griesemer.
West Chester went on to score two more runs before Bloomfield could finally get out of the ill-fated inning. Nunez hit Frank Nunan, following Stumpo’s 3-run double and was lifted for reliever Steven Godowski. Rams’ leadoff hitter, Nick Spisak, greeted the righty with a two-run triple to the right-center gap delivering Stumpo and Nunan.
The Deacons got one run back in the top of the sixth to make it 7-2. However, West Chester exploded for seven more runs in the bottom half of the frame to put the contest out of reach. After retiring the leadoff batter in the inning, Godowski walked a batter and hit a batter before being relieved by Joe Walsh. Unfortunately, Walsh faced four batters and did not get anybody out. He walked three and allowed a two-run single to Nunan and left with the score 11-2.
David Ricci was brought on to face Spisak, who manipulated a walk out of the reliever. Kyle Bechter then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Nunan, and Cotellese blasted a two-run shot over the left-center field fence off Ricci to push the lead to 14-2.
Bloomfield did not quit and put up a six-spot in the top of the eighth inning to draw within six. The Deacons would tack on another in the ninth as well.
Cotellese finished 2-for-6 with two RBI, including his first homer of the season. Nunan was 3-for-3 with two RBI and Dameron 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
David Slusser improved to 3-0 on the season, earning the win on the mound. He pitched the first five innings and allowed just one earned run on seven hits. He did not strike out a batter or walk a batter. Mike Cope and Chris Caldwell each tossed one inning of relief. Cope allowed one earned run, struck out a man and walked a man while allowing one hit. Caldwell threw a scoreless seventh, walking one and striking out one.
Carmen Daddario had a rough go of it in his first collegiate appearance. He faced seven batters in the eighth inning without recording an out. He yielded three hits and walked three, allowing all six base-runners to eventually score.
James Rundatz came on to stop the bleeding in the eighth and threw two full innings, allowing one run on two hits, walking one and striking out two.
West Chester returns to Serpico Stadium Wednesday afternoon for another nine-inning affair against Philadelphia University at 3:30 p.m. in the first round of the Bill Giles Classic. A win tomorrow over the Rams would advance West Chester into the championship game, which would be played at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark, home of the Philadelphia Phillies on April 8.
