MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Coming off a 16-14 victory in a slugfest against Chestnut Hill on Thursday, the West Chester University baseball team hit the road on Saturday and headed to Cooper's Park to square off against the No. 15 Marauders of Millersville University in a clash of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) divisional foes.
Joe Zirolli (KENNETT, PA./KENNETT SQUARE) recorded his team-leading 10th home run of the season in a 6-2 West Chester loss to start the day, before a two-run shot in the sixth inning by
Jared Melone (NORTH WALES, PA./NORTH PENN) and a complete-game effort on the mound by
Jon Fisher (PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA. PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH) helped the Golden Rams escape with a 2-1 victory in Saturday's nightcap.
West Chester moves to 21-11 overall and 11-7 in PSAC action following Saturday's split. Conversely, 15th-ranked Millersville, the No. 1 team in the Atlantic Region, goes to 29-8 on the year and 16-2 in conference play heading into tomorrow's doubleheader in West Chester tomorrow.
GAME ONE: West Chester - 2 | Millersville - 6
- West Chester starter Zach Rice (KENNETT, PA./KENNETT SQUARE) and Millersville ace Eli Nabholz combined to hold their opposition to just three hits across the first two innings and score remained squared at 0-0 entering the third.
- MU's Jimmy Losh led off the home half of the third with a single, before being brought home off a triple by Cole Friese to put the home team in front 1-0 with no outs. Kolby Kulina singled in Friese in the next at bat to extend the Marauder's lead to 2-0 prior Eric Callahan notching a RBI single up the middle to bring the home team's lead to 3-0 through three frames.
- With two on in the fourth, Zirolli recorded his third home run in the last two games – this one scoring Melone – to hack the Marauders' advantage to 3-2 heading into the home half of the fourth.
- Millersville took control of Saturday's opener in the bottom of the fourth, as the Marauders tacked on three runs in the frame to extend their lead to 6-2.
- Nabholz, the reigning PSAC East Pitcher of the Year, settled in over the final three innings of action, as the senior held the Golden Rams to just two hits down the stretch to secure the 6-2 victory for Millersville to start the day.
Zirolli went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a long ball in the loss, while
Justin Horn (WILLOW GROVE, PA. UPPER DUBLIN) and
Michael Krusinski (MEDFORD, NJ/BISHOP EUSTACE PREP) both added one hit to kick off Saturday's twin bill. West Chester's four hits were the second-fewest by the squad this season and the Golden Rams moved to 1-4 this year in games where they recorded five or less hits.
Rice (4-2) got saddled with the loss in game one after giving up six runs (all earned) on nine hits, and the sophomore tied a season low with just one strikeout across five innings of work.
GAME TWO: West Chester - 2 | Millersville - 1
- It was slow going for both offenses to start game two, as each side combined for just two hits across the first three innings to keep the scoreboard stuck at 0-0 entering the fourth.
- Zirolli singled in the top of the fourth for the lone West Chester hit in the frame, before Millersville got on the board following a RBI triple by Jimmy Cain, the reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week, in the home half of the frame to give the Marauders the 1-0 cushion.
- Horn led off the sixth by connecting on his third triple of the season to put the Golden Rams in prime position to tie the game with no outs. Facing a 2-2 count with a runner on, Melone smacked a two-run homer over the right field wall to give the Golden Rams their first lead of the afternoon at 2-1. The long ball, his seventh of the season, gives Melone 25 career homers in his three seasons with the Golden Rams to push the senior past Nick Ward ('18) for No. 4 on WCU's all-time career home runs list.
- Working with a one-run lead, Fisher kept the home team to just one hit over the final two innings to cement the critical 2-1 win for the Golden Rams on Saturday night.
Horn's two hits paced WCU on Saturday night and Melone added one hit, one run, and two RBI to go along with his one dinger.
On the mound, Fisher improved to 4-3 on the year after going seven innings and allowing just one run on five hits against eight strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The Golden Rams close out their four-game series against the Marauders tomorrow, April 21, with a doubleheader in West Chester scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
