WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Coming off a split with the Raiders on the road yesterday, the No. 25 West Chester University baseball team returned home to Serpico Field on Friday afternoon to close its four-game series against Shippensburg University with a key Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) doubleheader.
Both of Friday's contests proved to be extremely close, as each game was decided by a just single run. Fueled by a combined six hits and four RBI from the top of their lineup, the Golden Rams grabbed game one 5-4 to start the day before securing game two 7-6 in nine innings following a walk off single by
Drew Jarmuz (Kennett Square, Pa. / Unionville).
With the wins, West Chester improves to 17-7 overall and 6-4 in the PSAC after taking three out of the four games from the Raiders (11-16) in the series.
Game One: West Chester - 5 | Shippensburg- 4
- After Mike Cipolla (Newark, Del. / Charter School of Wilmington) kept the Raiders off the board in the first, Jared Melone (North Wales, Pa. / North Penn) connected on a single through the middle of the infield to score Nick Ward (Kennett Square, Pa. / Unionville) from third and put West Chester up 1-0 to start the game.
- With the score stuck at 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Justin Horn (Willow Grove, Pa. / Upper Dublin) led off the frame with a single to center before being brought home on a first-pitch home run by Ward to extend the home team's advantage to 3-0 through three.
- Shippensburg tacked on four runs over the next two innings to go up 4-3 entering the bottom of the fifth.
- Melone knotted the game with a RBI double to center in the bottom of the fifth and Jon Fisher (Plymouth Meeting, Pa. / Plymouth Whitemarsh) struck out SU's final two batters in the top of the fifth to keep the game squared at 4-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth frame.
- Jon Hansen (Cherry Hill, N.J. / George Mason) led off the sixth with a walk and moved to second following a sacrifice bunt by Christian Bateman (Aston, Pa / Sun Valley). With one out, Hansen came all the way around to score following an error by the Shippensburg shortstop to put the home team on top 5-4 through six.
- In the final frame, the Raiders managed to put the winning run on first base but Fisher once again came through with two strikeouts to end the inning and seal the 5-4 win for West Chester to start the day.
Horn, Ward, and Melone each logged two hits in game one, with Melone and Ward both adding two RBI in the victory. Manning the top two spots in the lineup, Horn and Ward both collected two runs in the opener and Bateman went 1-for-2 to give West Chester seven total hits to start the day.
Fisher (1-2) got the win after allowing no runs and just two hits with four strikeouts in 2.0 innings pitched.
Game Two: West Chester - 7 | Shippensburg – 6 (9)
- The Raiders scored early and in bunches to start the nightcap, jumping out to a sizable 6-0 after through 1.5 innings.
- In the second, Jarmuz got the home team on the board with a two-run home run and started a long ball trend that the Golden Rams would ride through the duration of the game.
- Horn collected a RBI single in the third to bring the score to 6-3 before both Melone and Dressler went yard in the third to square the game at 6-6 entering the fourth.
- The scoring came to a halt after the third, as neither side was able to add a run over the next four frames to force extra innings at Serpico Field.
- After 2.5 frames without any runs, the Golden Rams grabbed the victory in the ninth inning thanks to a RBI single by Jarmuz with one out and a runner on.
Horn and Hansen both notched three hits in the nightcap and Melone and Dressler each recorded two runs in the victory. Melone, Dressler, and Jarmuz all went yard to end the afternoon and Jarmuz paced the West Chester offense with three RBI.
On the mound,
Andrew Scarpelli (Lewisberry, Pa / Trinity) (1-0) got his first win of the year after surrendering no runs on no hits with five strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
