Box Score PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – West Chester defeated No. 25 Wilmington (Del.) by a 9-5 margin in the championship game of the 2015 Bill Giles Classic sponsored by GDI Suarz at Citizens Bank Park Wednesday afternoon.
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West Chester (18-8) picked up its first title in the Classic since 2012 and the 10th in the 15-year history of the tournament that features Philadelphia area Division II college baseball teams.
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The Golden Rams scored three runs in the third, and then added a pair in both the fourth and fifth to take a 7-4 lead into the late innings. After Wilmington (27-9) got one back, but left the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, West Chester tacked on two insurance tallies in its half of the eighth to put the game out of reach.
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West Chester's first three hitters in the batting order were a combined 6-for-13 with six runs scored and three RBI. Leadoff hitter,
Drew Diehl, was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
Dylan Tice went 2-for-4 with three runs scored.
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Mike Cipolla (2-0) was credited with the win in relief. He came on with one out in the fourth for starter
Jonathan Motts and threw 4.2 innings, yielding a pair of runs on six hits while walking one and striking out three. He caught Wilmington's Sean Feeney looking with the bases loaded in the eighth to get out of a jam with a 7-5 lead.
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Jeff O'Reilly pitched the ninth and struck out one batter. Motts pitched well for 3.1, surrendering two runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one.
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West Chester scored nine runs on eight hits off of eight different pitchers for Wilmington, which saw its 10-game winning streak come to a close in a rematch of last year's Bill Giles Classic final won by the Wildcats.
Wilmington's Matt Frost (0-1) suffered the loss, giving up three runs on three hits in the bottom of the third inning.
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West Chester travels to East Stroudsburg on Friday as the Golden Rams step back into PSAC Eastern Division play this weekend with a four-game set against the Warriors.
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