PSAC CHAMPIONS!!!

Box Score

BUTLER, Pa. – No. 24 West Chester knocked off the No. 1 team in the country in Eastern Division rival Millersville, 9-7, to win the 2016 PSAC Baseball Championship at Kelly Automotive Park Wednesday afternoon.
 
West Chester (36-12), which had to first get past Seton Hill, 8-3, in an elimination game Wednesday morning, turned right around and jumped on Millersville (47-5) early and then held on to claim the school's eighth baseball conference championship and first since 2012.
 
"Big picture, we knew we had to play two complete games today to beat two excellent teams," fifth-year head coach Jad Prachniak said afterwards. "Everyone stepped up and got the job done."
 
Senior OF Drew Diehl (Unionville, Pa./Unionville) was named the tournament MVP, going 3-for-4 with a leadoff home run in the semifinal win over Seton Hill and then turning in a 3-for-5 effort at the plate in the afternoon with a double and a pair of runs batted in to help the Golden Rams claim the PSAC Championship. For the tournament, Diehl was 10-for-19 with three doubles, one homer and five RBI.
 
"I was calm and ready to go," Diehl said. "I've been feeling pretty comfortable at the plate lately and seeing the ball really well."
 
West Chester jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a five-spot in the top of the second inning that helped freshman pitcher Michael Deitz (Avon Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) settle in and keep the nation's third-best hitting offense quiet for the first three frames.
 
Nick Bateman (Aston, Pa./Malvern) led off the second with a double to right field. Joe Sheeran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) singled him home for the first run of the inning.  Anthony Salomone (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) reached on a fielder's choice, and then Clay Harwick (Lansdale, Pa./Methacton) was hit by a pitch.
 
Diehl singled thru the right side, plating Salomone, and two batters later, Justin Roman (Berwyn, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) hit a two-run double to left. Shane Dressler (York Haven, Pa./Red Land) followed with a RBI single up the middle, before the Marauders could stop the bleeding.
 
Dressler added another RBI single in the top of the fourth to give West Chester its largest lead of the game at 6-0. From there, Millersville began chipping away at the deficit margin. However, the Golden Rams were able to keep the Marauders at bay each time the defending conference champs tried to mount a rally.
 
Diehl hit a run-scoring double in the top of the fifth to restore West Chester's six-run lead. However, Millersville answered with a three-spot in the bottom half to pull within 7-4 after five. The two teams traded a pair of runs in the seventh as the Rams maintained a three-run edge, 9-6, heading into the final two frames.
 
Harwick scored on a wild pitch, and Zach Sheranko (Tannersville, Pa./Pocono Mtn East) walked with the bases loaded in the seventh.
 
Millersville tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth. However, West Chester turned a double play to get out of the eighth and ninth innings and secure the second PSAC crown for Golden Rams head coach Jad Prachniak in his five years at the helm.
 
Deitz's final line was one unearned run on three hits in 3.2 innings of work. He walked four. Mike O'Neill (Brick, N.J./Brick Twp.), one two workhorse closers that Prachniak utilized all week long, threw the next three full innings to pick up the win and improve to 5-2 on the season. The Rams' other closer, Josh McClain (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock), who earned his second save of the tournament earlier that morning, threw the final 2.1 innings to close out the win.
 
"The back-end of the bullpen has been awesome all year," Prachniak answered. "They've helped each other out and been a driving force for us."
 
As for his freshman starter, Prachniak was very impressed with his performance in such a stressful situation.
 
"He kept us in the game," Prachniak stated flatly. "Not only that, he left us in a good spot when he came out. That's all I could have asked of him."
 
Added to the roster mid-season following the injury to senior pitcher, Joe Gutowski, Deitz has been thrown into trying situations in both of his outings this year.
 
"He is a big-time pitcher," Diehl said about the young hurler. "He was ready today when Jad gave him the ball. He was incredible. He has busted his (butt) since joining the team. We needed somebody to step up when (Gutowski) got hurt, and he has certainly done that. The whole team is very proud of him."
 
With the win, West Chester earns an automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Atlantic Regional that begins on May 19. The Golden Rams were ranked No. 2 in the region heading into the PSAC Tournament and have presumably solidified that spot with their two wins today and a 4-1 showing in the conference tournament. West Chester also improved to 2-3 on the year against Millersville, the expected No. 1 seed and host for the NCAA Atlantic Regional.
 
The NCAA Selection Show will air Sunday night at 10 p.m.