Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – It took just 2 hours, 28 minutes for host West Chester to sweep visiting Bloomsburg with a pair of 1-0 wins in the PSAC East opening doubleheader for both schools on a cold and windy Friday afternoon at Serpico Stadium.
West Chester (10-8-1, 2-0 PSAC East) upped its winning streak to three games with the sweep while Bloomsburg (4-12, 0-2) let a pair of stellar pitching performances slip through its grasp on the road.
Junior right-hander Joe Gunkel (4-1) needed just 1 hour, 18 minutes and 72 pitches to finish off the Huskies in game one. The Golden Rams’ ace allowed five hits and struck out two without walking a batter in throwing his fourth complete game of the year and second shutout on the season.
Not to be outdone, junior righty Fred Breidenbach (1-2) earned his first win of the season working 1 hour, 10 minutes and throwing just 69 pitches to dispatch Bloomsburg in game two. “Breidy” surrendered four hits, walked two and struck out four to earn his first complete game and shutout in 2013.
Those two performances on the hill overshadowed Bloomsburg’s hurler’s efforts. Bryan Morris (1-3) allowed just four hits and one run over six innings in game one. He struck out three and did not walk a batter. In game two, Jared Schaffer (0-1) scattered four hits over six innings, allowing one run while striking out two and not walking a batter.
West Chester scored its only run of game one in the bottom of the sixth inning when Mike Raimo led off with a single to left field. Jack Provine sacrificed him over to second, and Justin Lamborn one-hopped the right-field fence with a double, scoring Raimo.
Bloomsburg’s Brian Almand doubled with two outs in the top of the seventh. However, Raimo made a diving catch of a sinking liner to right-center by the Huskies’ catcher, Tim Kurucz to end the game.
In the nightcap, Lamborn reached on a bunt single down the first base line to lead off the fourth inning, and Chris Pula sacrificed him over to second. After Bloomsburg retired the next batter for the second out of the inning, Lamborn stole third. He later scored the lone run of the game on a wild pitch.
Breidenbach struck out two of the three batters he faced in the seventh to secure the win.
West Chester has now won three straight one-run ballgames, dating back to the Rams’ final game of their Spring Break trip to Florida when they beat Lock Haven, 5-4, in their final at bats. In fact, four of West Chester’s last five wins have been by one run. WCU beat Minnesota-Duluth, 7-6, in 15 innings on Monday.
These two teams will be right back at Serpico Stadium on Saturday afternoon for another doubleheader at 1 p.m.
