Box Score
BUTLER, Pa. -
Drew Diehl (Unionville, Pa./Unionville),
Nick Bateman (Aston, Pa./Malvern) and
Shane Dressler (York Haven, Pa./Red Land) all homered as No. 24 West Chester advanced to the PSAC Championship Game with an 8-3 victory over Seton Hill in the semifinal elimination game Wednesday morning at Kelly Automotive Park.
West Chester (35-12) will play for the conference championship for the third time in the last five years and will be looking for its eighth conference title overall when the Golden Rams face No. 1 Millersville (47-4) at approximately 2:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
West Chester wasted little time getting things started when Diehl hit a leadoff homer, his team-leading eighth of the season, and Dressler followed three batters later with a three-run blast, his seventh, to put the Rams on top, 4-0, after one inning of play. Seton Hill got one run back in the top of the fifth. But, the Golden Rams responded with a three-spot in their fifth inning to push the lead to 7-1.
From there, closer
Josh McClain (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) carried the Golden Rams home for his eighth save of the season and second in this tournament. McClain allowed just one unearned run over 3.2 innings. He yielded just one hit while walking one and striking out one.
Mike Cipolla (Newark, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) (7-4) started the game and went 5.1, surrendering two runs, only one of them earned, on eight hits while striking out three.
Diehl finished the semifinal 3-for-4. Bateman went 2-for-4 with his fifth home run of the season.
Anthony Salomone (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) also collected a pair of hits and a RBI.
Freshman right-hander
Michael Deitz (Avon Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) will get the ball in the championship game. He is the first freshman pitcher for West Chester to start a conference championship game since former lefty Conor Kerins in 2009.
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