No. 17 West Chester Downs Chowan In NCAA Opener, 12-6

Box Score

WEST LAWN, Pa. – Justin Roman (Berwyn, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) and Nick Bateman (Aston, Pa./Malvern) each collected four RBI to lead 17th-ranked West Chester to a 12-6 win over Chowan in the NCAA Division II Baseball Atlantic Regional Thursday afternoon at Owls Field at Ted Palka Park.
 
West Chester (37-12) advances into the winner's bracket and will take on Mercyhurst Friday evening at 7 p.m. Chowan (26-25) will now play an elimination game against East Stroudsburg Friday morning at 11 a.m.
 
The Golden Rams scored in each of the first five innings, including a four-spot in the fifth that broke open a 5-3 ballgame and gave the second-seeded Rams some breathing room. Starter Nick Stallings (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) threw the first six innings to improve to 6-2 on the year. Closer Mike O'Neill (Brick, N.J./Brick Twp.) pitched the final three innings for his 10th save of the year.
 
"It was important to get a quality win right out of the gate," senior outfielder Drew Diehl said afterwards. "(Chowan's pitchers) were spinning off breaking balls, and we have been pretty good all year at laying off those pitches and forcing opponents to make good pitches. Then, when they miss, we really want to make them pay."
 
Chowan paid to the tune of nine doubles for the Golden Rams on the day.
 
Bateman finished the day 3-for-5 with four RBI. He distributed three of those doubles to the gaps in the outfield while Roman finished up 2-for-4 with four RBI of his own and a pair of two-baggers.
 
Nine of West Chester's 12 runs in the game were scored with two outs. Both teams had their chances to add to the run totals. The Golden Rams left 13 runners on base while Chowan stranded 11.
 
Stallings allowed four runs, two of them earned, on six hits while walking two and striking out four. O'Neill surrendered two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out three.
 
Diehl (Unionville, Pa./Unionville) went 3-for-5 from his leadoffposition while both Tyler Coleman (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) and Anthony Salomone (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) posted a pair of hits. Coleman added an RBI.