LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Golden Rams notched a season-high four home runs in an 8-4 victory over Lock Haven to start the day, before a 2-RBI double in the 10th by
Joe Zirolli (KENNETT, PA./KENNETT SQUARE) propelled the No. 18 West Chester University baseball team to a 5-3 win in game two at Watkins Field on Saturday afternoon.
WCU, winners of seven of its last eight, moves to 16-5 overall following Saturday's victories and the two wins give the Golden Rams (7-1) sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East standings. Lock Haven, who have lost each of its last seven games, falls to 7-14-1 on the year behind a PSAC-worst 1-7 mark in conference action ahead of its four-game series with Mansfield next weekend.
GAME ONE: West Chester – 8 | Lock Haven – 4
- After going yard yesterday against the Bald Eagles, senior Jared Melone (NORTH WALES, PA. NORTH PENN) picked up right where he left off on Saturday, as the senior sent a Ross Mintzer offering over the right field fence to give the Golden Rams the 1-0 advantage after the first inning of play.
- Lock Haven squared the game at one in the bottom of second off a fielder's choice, but that would be as close as the Bald Eagles would get to victory for the remainder of the contest.
- Freshman Luke Cantwell (BROOMALL, PA./MARPLE NEWTOWN), who notched his first-career home run during yesterday's doubleheader, recorded his second long ball of the year in the third to give WCU the lead and spark a huge inning for the Purple & Gold.
- Melone followed with a RBI to center to bring the score to 3-1, before Kyle Feaster (TROOPER, PA./METHACTION) went on to score from third on a wild pitch to extend the WCU advantage to 4-1 in the third.
- With his team up three, Zirolli capped off the third by sending his team-leading fifth home run of the season over the fence to extend the visitors cushion to 6-1 through three frames.
- The Golden Rams added another run in fifth off a RBI single from Jon Hansen (CHERRY HILL, N.J./ GEORGE MASON), before Melone stepped to the dish in the seventh and sent his second long ball of the afternoon over the fence to raise WCU's run total to eight.
- LHU managed to score three runs across the final two frames to make it interesting, but the Golden Rams were able to hold on for the win thanks to some stellar situational pitching by ace Jon Fisher (PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA./PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH) who came in to relieve starter Zach Rice (HONEY BROOK, PA./TWIN VALLEY) in the final 1.2 innings.
Melone recorded a whale of a stat line in Saturday's opener, as the senior notched a team-high three hits, three RBI, three runs and two long balls in just four at bats. Zirolli added two hits, two RBI and a dinger of his own, while Cantwell recorded his second home run in the last three games.
On the mound, Rice improved to 3-1 on the year after giving up three runs (all earned) on five hits with two strikeouts in 5.1 inning pitched.
GAME TWO: West Chester – 5 | Lock Haven – 3 (10)
- Sophomore Justin Horn (WILLOW GROVE, PA./UPPER DUBLIN) led off the game with a single to short, and eventually scored on a fielder's choice by Zirolli, to give the Golden Rams the 1-0 lead after .5 innings of action.
- Lock Haven capitalized on some Golden Ram errors in the third, as the home team tacked on two runs following an error and a passed ball.
- Starting behind the dish for West Chester is the second game, freshman JR Gifford (DOYLESTOWN, PA./ARCHBISHOP WOOD) dinged his second home run of the season in the fifth, prior to a RBI single from Zirolli, which put the Golden Rams in front 3-2 entering the home half of the inning.
- Errors once again came back to bite WCU in the bottom of the fifth, as Lock Haven managed to square the contest at 3-3 following an error by the infield.
- With the score squared at 3-3, the game went into extra innings after both teams combined for just one hit over the final two frames. Feaster led off the tenth with a single and he was followed by a single from Melone to put to runners on with nobody out. Zirolli followed with a huge 2-RBI double to put the Golden Rams in front 5-3 in the 10th.
- As he did in yesterday's extra inning affair, junior Joe Peluso (DOYLESTOWN, PA./LASALLE) was tasked with closing out the game for the Purple & Gold on Saturday. Just like he did yesterday, Peluso came through in the clutch, as the junior held the Bald Eagles hitless in the bottom of the tenth to secure the 5-3 win for West Chester in extra innings.
Zirolli tied a season-high with four RBI in game two to give the first baseman his team-leading 22nd-and-23rd RBI of the year. Feaster notched a season-high three hits in the win, while Melone added two hits for the Golden Rams to extend the senior's hitting streak to four games.
Peluso (2-0) won his second straight game on Saturday after allowing no runs and no hits with three K's in 5.0 innings pitched.
UP NEXT
The Golden Rams will take a step outside of conference play on Wednesday (April 3) when the squad welcomes Jefferson to Serpico Field for a single 9-inning game scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.
