Pinch-Hit Single In Bottom Of The Seventh Earns West Chester Sweep Over Lock Haven

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Joe Sheeran's pinch-hit single with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning plated the tying and winning runs, leading host West Chester to a PSAC East baseball doubleheader sweep over visiting Lock Haven Saturday afternoon at Serpico Stadium.
 
West Chester (25-10, 15-7 PSAC East) sits in third place behind East Stroudsburg (34-11, 17-7), which has two more league games played than the Golden Rams because the Warriors were able to get their games in on Friday. West Chester can pull back into a tie for second place with East Stroudsburg, if the Rams sweep the Bald Eagles Sunday.
 
West Chester tied the night cap with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Anthony Salomone and a RBI single from Mike Gannon. However, Lock Haven responded with a single tally in the top half of the seventh to take an 8-7 lead.
 
Shane Dressler started the home team's rally in its final at bats with a single up the middle with one out. Robert Knox came in to run for Dressler. Nick Bateman followed with a double down the left-field line that put runners on second and third with one out. Tyler Coleman then got hit by a pitch to load the bases. That's when Sheeran pinch-hit for Clay Harwick and delivered the game-winning knock through the left side.
 
Salomone finished game two 2-for-3 with three RBI while Harwick went 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored, before being lifted in the seventh.
 
Josh McClain (1-0) picked up his first win of the season in relief. He pitched 1.1 innings and finished the game. Eric Close started the contest and lasted four innings, yielding five runs – all in the fourth inning – on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. Lefty, Dalton Reed, came on and threw 1.2 innings, before giving way to McClain.
 
In the opener, West Chester sliced open a scoreless tie with nine runs in the third and one more in the fourth to take a 10-0 lead. That tally answered a two-run rally from the Bald Eagles in the top of the fourth. The Rams tacked on two in the sixth.
 
Coleman finished 3-for-4 with four RBI in the opener while Salomone was 3-for-4 as well. Both Sheeran and Dressler were 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
 
Nick Stallings started the game and gave up just one unearned run in three innings of work. Mike O'Neill (3-2) came on in the fourth and went the rest of the way to earn the win. He also surrendered just one unearned run. Lock Haven mustered just five hits in the loss.
 
West Chester and Lock Haven will finish up their PSAC East weekend series on Sunday in Lock Haven. Game one begins at 1 p.m.