Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Kevin McGrath hit a grand slam in game one, and Charlie Kelly smashed two home runs and banged out a triple in the nightcap to lead seventh-ranked West Chester University to a non-league baseball doubleheader sweep over visiting Columbia Union, 11-4 and 13-5, on a sunny and warm Tuesday afternoon at Serpico Stadium.
West Chester (35-9) upped its winning streak to 12 straight and has now won 29 of its last 31 contests since returning from Florida. Columbia Union (14-14) received home runs from Anthony Weber and John DeGomez in the second game.
The Golden Rams scored eight times in the bottom half of the fifth inning to take a commanding, 11-4, lead in the opener. McGrath’s fifth home run of the season, and fourth in his last three games, highlighted the breakout inning. Blair Dameron and Kelly each produced RBI doubles, and Kyle Orensky and Bob Stumpo rapped out run-scoring singles in the frame. West Chester sent 12 men to the plate.
McGrath finished game one 1-for-4 with the grand slam, which extended his hitting streak on the season to 22 straight games. He has not been held hitless since a 4-3 setback to East Stroudsburg on March 20.
Matt Cotellese picked up a pair of hits in each game as well to raise his batting average on the season to a team-high .450. He has now hit safely in his last 15 contests. He is hitting .578 (37-for-64) over that 15-game stretch with 12 doubles and 25 runs scored.
Dameron and Kelly finished with a pair of RBI’s in the game. Nick Spisak, Dameron and Joe Wendle all scored twice as well.
Sidearm sophomore Carmen Daddario (1-0) earned his first college win in relief. He came on for Greg Ball in the fifth to get West Chester out of a jam and finished out the game. Daddario went 2.1 scoreless innings without yielding a hit or a walk. He struck out one batter.
Ball faced two batters in the fifth, after relieving starter Jordan Lehman. He walked a man to load the bases and then surrendered a two-run single that put Columbia Union up 4-3. Lehman lasted 4.2 innings before getting into trouble in the fifth. All four runs were charged to him on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two.
West Chester hammered out 17 hits in the second game, including three home runs. Orensky tied Dameron for the team lead in round-trippers with his 11th of the season in the first inning that put the Rams on top 3-1. Kelly hit a pair of two-run shots, the first one coming in the third and the other in the sixth, while adding a triple in the fifth. He finished the nightcap 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored.
Wendle was also 3-for-4 in the second game while Spisak went 3-for-3 with two more runs scored. He legged out a pair of doubles and a bunt single in his four times to the plate.
Columbia Union, once again, jumped out on top 4-3 with a three-run third. However, West Chester answered with a five-spot in their half of the inning to take the lead for good.
Dameron finished with another two RBI in the nightcap.
Billy Huntzinger (2-1) picked up the win for the Golden Rams in relief. He came on with two outs in the third inning and pitched 2.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walking one and striking out three.
Brian Lawlor started and lasted 2.2 innings, surrendering three runs on one hit and walking four. Joe Opalka pitched the sixth and Eric Carmichael struck out the side in the seventh.
West Chester takes on Shippensburg Thursday at home at Serpico Stadium in the regular-season home finale on Senior Day. The Golden Rams have already earned at least a tie for the division crown and sewn up the top seed in the Eastern Division for the upcoming PSAC Tournament. One win in their last four games would give West Chester the outright Eastern Division title.
