No. 12 West Chester Sweeps Mansfield Again

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MANSFIELD, Pa. - West Chester University right-hander Mike Cipolla (Newark, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) went five strong innings for the Golden Rams in a 9-3 victory over host Mansfield in game one of a PSAC East doubleheader at Shaute Field Saturday.
 
West Chester (30-7, 20-4 PSAC East) kept its winning ways going in game two against Mansfield (20-26, 8-16 PSAC), defeating the Mounties, 4-1. The win gave West Chester the four-game sweep over Mansfield in the season series as the Golden Rams took both games of the Friday doubleheader at Serpico Stadium.
 
With the pair of wins, West Chester puts itself four games up in the win column with four league games to play in the PSAC East standings, reducing the magic number to one. West Chester clinches the PSAC East with either one win next weekend against Lock Haven in its four-game series, or, one Shippensburg loss to Millersville in their four-game set.
 
Cipolla scattered 10 hits and surrendered three runs – all of them earned –  while striking out three in game one. Cipolla was successful avoiding the big hit, as Mansfield failed to have an extra base hit in the contest. Freshman Joe Peluso (Doylestown, Pa./LaSalle) pitched the final two innings for the Golden Rams and slammed the door.
 
West Chester's offense stayed hot in game one as well, scoring in five of seven innings in support of Cipolla. Anthony Salomone (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York), Nick Bateman (Aston, Pa./Malvern), and Jared Melone (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) all recorded three-hit games as well as Nick Ward's (Unionville, Pa./Unionville) three-run blast to right field in a four-run sixth that proved to be too much for Mansfield.
 
Senior righty Andrew Gernert (Lenhartsville, Pa./Kutztown) followed his teammate's performance in game one, firing five innings of one-run ball, giving up five hits in the process. Gernert was very efficient with his start, only needing 61 pitches to get through his outing, before letting Josh McClain (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) to get the final six outs of the game. Mansfield only managed one extra-base hit in game two, after not having any in game one.
 
On offense, West Chester rapped out nine hits, eight of them off of Mansfield starter Tanner Klein. Shane Dressler (York Haven, Pa./Red Land) and Melone both went 2-for-4. Dressler had the play of the game when he took Tyler Guidos deep to right field for a two-run home run, which gave the Golden Rams some breathing room to close the game.
 
West Chester travels to Wilmington (Del.) on Tuesday for a non-league tilt with the Wildcasts, before returning home for its home finale on Friday against Lock Haven.