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Box Score 2 SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Matt Petrizzi pitched 5.2 strong innings for the win and tripled and scored the winning run in the fifth to break a 3-3 tie to lead West Chester University baseball to a 4-3 game 2 victory and a split in the twinbill at Shippensburg University Saturday Afternoon at Fairchild Field.
The Golden Rams (23-13, 15-9 PSAC East), who captured three out of four games in the series are currently third in the east, and finish the regular season with a weekend series with Millersville, who sit atop the table with a 16-6 conference record. The Raiders (24-26, 11-13, PSAC East) won the opener 7-1.
West Chester trailed 2-0 going to the fourth when Petrizzi led off the inning with a single,
Tyler Coleman, and
Chris Pula followed with singles to left to load the bases for
Robert Knox, who brought home Petrizzi with the first run on a single to short. Coleman scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2 and leave runners at second and third,
Mike Gannon infield single brought home Pula to give West Chester a 3-2 lead.
Shippensburg scored in the bottom of the frame to knot the contest at 3-3. Petrizzi tripled to center with one out, with two outs and Petrizzi still at third, Pula dropped down a bunt single to score Petrizzi with the eventual winning run.
Kyle Weary, who relieved Petrizzi with two outs and a runner on first, recorded the final out in the sixth and pitched a perfect seventh for his fifth save of the year. Petrizzi won for the third consecutive start to improve to 3-0, allowing three runs on six hits and walking four. Thomas Swartz pitched in relief and suffered the defeat to fall to 1-2.
West Chester opened the scoring in the opener on a RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the second from Rob Spekhardt to score Tyler Coleman, who had been hit by a pitch to lead off the frame.
The Raiders responded in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of unearned runs to take a 2-1, then added a home run from Cody Ezolt in the third en route to a 7-1 opening game win.
Chris Pula went 5-6 on the day including 3-3 in the nightcap with the game winning RBI, Petrizzi collected three hits in the twinbill.
Ryan Swearingen was saddled with the loss to fall to 1-2, surrendering all seven runs, four earned, on 10 hits in 4.1 innings of work.
Andrew Gernert pitched the final 1.2 innings without giving up a hit. Mark Curtis picked up the win for Shippensburg by going five innings and allowing only three hits and one run to improve to 4-0.
The Golden Rams will take on Wilmington, Del. on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park in the Championship Game of the Bill Giles Tournament.
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