West Chester Baseball Splits With No. 24 Flagler

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

LEESBURG, Fla. – West Chester split a non-league baseball doubleheader with No. 24 Flagler Tuesday, winning game one, 7-0, before dropping the nightcap, 6-4, at Pat Thomas Stadium.
 
In the opener, Jr., right-hander Mike Cipolla (Newark, Del./Charter of Wilmington) pitched a complete-game one-hitter as the Golden Rams (6-3) downed Flagler (17-8), 7-0. A five-run second inning proved to be all the support Cipolla would need as he was in control for the entire game. He struck out six batters and walked just two to even his record on the year at 1-1.
 
Drew Jarmuz (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) hit a two-run single with the bases loaded, and Anthony Salomone (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) hit a three-run homer to highlight the Rams' big second frame. Shane Dressler (York Haven, Pa./Red Land) hit a solo shot in the third and added a RBI single in the fifth for the rest of West Chester's scoring.
 
Cipolla faced just two batters over the minimum and threw 85 pitches in seven innings of work.
 
West Chester scored seven runs on 10 hits and committed one error while Flagler committed a pair of errors to go along with its one hit.
 
The Golden Rams jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Joey Coyle (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) and Nick Ward (Unionville, Pa./Unionville) hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the game. A follow-up single by Jared Melone (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) chased Flagler's starting pitcher, who failed to record an out. Zach Sheranko (Tannersville, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) later singled home Melone for the third run of the frame.
 
Flagler responded with a pair of runs in its half of the first to cut the deficit to one. A home run by Sheranko in the fourth extended that lead to 4-2.
 
Michael Dietz (Avon Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) started and lasted five innings, surrendering four runs on four hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. Tim Edwards (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) came on in the sixth, but yielded two runs on one hit while walking a batter and hitting another, before being lifted without recording an out. He suffered the loss, dropping to 1-1 on the year. Joe Kinee (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) relieved Edwards and got the Golden Rams out of the inning without any more damage.
 
Dressler and Sheranko each finished 2-for-3 in the nightcap.
 
In the nightcap, Flagler scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 4-2 deficit and come from behind for the win. It ended West Chester's modest three-game winning streak, including two straight over a ranked opponent.
 
West Chester faces Wayne State Wednesday to close out its spring break trip at the Russmatt Invitational. The Golden Rams beat the Warriors, 5-3, on Sunday evening.