MANSFIELD, Pa. – The No. 9 West Chester baseball team notched six runs in the final two innings to take game one of Monday's doubleheader 7-2, before the Golden Rams used a seven-strikeout performance by starter
David Mervis (GATHERSBURG, MD/GONZAGA) to hold Mansfield University to just one hit in a 5-1 victory to cap off the conference doubleheader.
West Chester moved to 12-4 overall following Monday's sweep and the two wins bring the Golden Rams to 3-1 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play, which moves WCU into a four-way tie with East Stroudsburg, Millersville, and Shippensburg for the top spot in the PSAC East standings. Conversely, the Mountaineers drop to 4-10 on year after Monday's twinbill behind 1-4 mark in league games ahead of their four-game series with East Stroudsburg this weekend.
GAME ONE: West Chester- 7 | Mansfield – 2
- The host Mountaineers got on the board first off an error in the opening frame, but one run would be all Mansfield could muster after a strikeout by WCU starter Zach Rice (HONEY BROOK, PA./TWIN VALLEY) ended MU's chances with the bases loaded.
- Following a scoreless second, Kyle Feaster (TROOPER, PA./METHACTION), who entered today's doubleheader leading the PSAC with a .483 batting average, led off the third with a triple before being becoming Jared Melone's (NORTH WALES, PA./NORTH PENN) team-leading 14th RBI of the year to put WCU in front 2-1 through 2.5 innings.
- MU took the lead in the bottom of the third after Eric Senior scored Tyler Guidos on a sacrifice fly to right field.
- West Chester's late-inning magic continued on Monday afternoon, as the Golden Rams hung six runs on the Mountaineers between the sixth and seventh innings. Jon Hansen (CHERRY HILL, N.J./ GEORGE MASON) and Feaster each logged two RBI during that two-inning stretch, while Rice rung up two batters and kept the Mountaineers hitless over the final two frames of the contest.
Feaster went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a steal in game one and Hansen chipped in two RBI and two hits in two plate appearances.
Rice (2-1) tallied his second complete-game victory on Monday after allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts against just one walk in 7.0 innings pitched.
GAME TWO: West Chester - 5 | Mansfield - 1
- The Golden Rams' big inning came during the third inning of Monday's nightcap, as freshman JR Gifford's (DOYLESTOWN, PA./ARCHBISHOP WOOD) first-career home run prompted a four-run outburst for the visitors to put West Chester in front 4-0 through three.
- Hansen led off the sixth inning with a double, before being brought home following a MU error to extend WCU's lead to 5-0.
- MU's lone run came in the bottom of the sixth after Espinosa sacrificed in Senior from third to trim the West Chester lead to four runs.
Hunter Reeser's (MOHNTON, PA./GOVERNOR MIFFLIN) two RBI in game two led all players, while Gifford's home run in the third represented the other RBI for the Golden Rams in Monday's nightcap.
Mervis improved to 2-0 on the season after allowing just one run (earned) on one hit with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.
NEWS AND NOTES
After sitting atop the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region poll in each of the last four weeks, West Chester dropped to No. 2 in this week's regional rankings following a 3-0 loss against Mansfield at home on Sunday. Golden Rams received 120 total points in the release to finish second behind Millersville (11-3), who earned eight of the possible 13 first-place votes to claim the top position in the region for the first time since February 18.
UP NEXT
The Golden Rams return to Serpico Field on Wednesday (March 27) to welcome Wilmington (Del.) for a single game scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.
