West Chester Sweeps Kutztown In Home Opener; Takes Season Series

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – A pair of new faces to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference turned in strong pitching performances to lead host West Chester University to a sweep of its conference doubleheader from against Kutztown University at Serpico Stadium Sunday afternoon.
 
West Chester (10-4, 3-1 PSAC East) won the final three games of the conference-opening series, dating back to Saturday's split of a doubleheader at Kutztown (10-6, 1-3). Junior transfers Joe Gutowski and Nick Stallings each turned in quality starts Sunday.
 
A four-run first inning was all the Golden Rams needed in the opener. Gutowski (3-0) took it from there, scattering six hits over five innings, before exiting with a 4-3 lead in the sixth. Only one of the three runs he allowed were earned.
 
Kyle Weary (3) came on to pitch the sixth and seventh, picking up his first save of the afternoon and second on the season. He would also come on to close out the nightcap before darkness engulfed Serpico.
 
"The way in which we won game one, it was not our finest game," WCU head coach Jad Prachniak commented afterwards. "But, I liked the way we bounced back. Going into any weekend, you want to win every game in and and of itself. But to get three out of four puts us in good shape."
 
West Chester scored five runs on five hits, but committed five errors in the first game. However, the Golden Rams were able to overcome those miscues thanks to the stability of Gutowski on the mound.
 
"Gutowski was working on short rest," Prachniak revealed. "And for Stallings, that was his first extended start of the season. So, for both of them, I think they did a really nice job and gave us a chance to win."
 
The Rams plated four in the first as Mike Raimo led off with a walk and Chris Pula was hit by a pitch two batters later. Kutztown's starting pitcher, Kyle Stoudt (0-1), had to leave the mound following Pula's at bat due to an undisclosed injury. He remained in the game as the designated hitter. However, Zach Wasson came on and walked the first two batters he faced. The free pass to Coleman forced home Raimo. Luke Mogle then hit into a fielder's choice, plating Pula, Robert Knox singled up the middle to score Justin Roman, and Mogle eventually scored on a wild pitch.
 
Kutztown would rally with one run in the third and two more in the fifth. But, Weary shut the door in the Golden Bears' final two at bats.
 
Five different Golden Rams registered a hit, and four different players picked up a RBI. Coleman and Mogle each posted RBI without getting a hit in the game. Raimo went 1-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored. He walked twice.
 
Racing against the impending darkness in game two, West Chester twice answered a two-spot put up by Kutztown with three of its own in the bottom half of the frame to keep pace with the Bears. Kutztown opened the scoring with a two-run third just to see West Chester score three times in their half. The Bears tallied twice more in the fifth, but the Rams again answered the bell with three of their own in the bottom half. West Chester then scored a pair of runs in the sixth to salt away the doubleheader sweep.
 
Coleman finished game two 1-for-3 with three RBI. He knocked in a combined four runs Sunday in the doubleheader while collecting just one hit in seven plate appearances. Robert Knox and Rob Spekhardt each posted two hits in the nightcap.
 
Spekhardt doubled to lead off the bottom of the third inning. He would come around to score on a throwing error by Kutztown's catcher following a swinging bunt by Raimo. Back-to-back singles by Roman and Coleman knocked in the other two runs.
 
A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for West Chester in the bottom of the fifth. The Rams had just seen their slim, one-run, lead disappear in the top half of the frame. However, Coleman grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Matt Petrizzi with the tying run. Pula came home with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, before Knox singled to score Coleman.
 
Raimo walked and eventually scored in the sixth on a fielding error by Kutztown's third baseman. Coleman then hit a sacrifice fly to double up the Bears, 8-4.
 
Stallings pitched the first four innings, yielding two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four. He gave way to Ron Scull (3-0) in the fifth, who was the pitcher of record, despite throwing just one innings. Scull allowed two runs on four hits, but still picked up the win when West Chester rallied for its three runs in the fifth. He walked one and struck out two.
 
Weary came on in the sixth and allowed one hit and walked one while striking out two in his two innings of work.
 
West Chester travels to Bloomsburg on Friday for its next PSAC East test against the Huskies, who also won three of four in its first conference weekend series. The Golden Rams and Huskies will play two in West Chester on Saturday, following the twinbill at Bloomsburg on Friday.