WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Coming off a split at home yesterday, the West Chester University baseball team traveled to the North Campus Field on Sunday afternoon to close out its four-game series against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) divisional foe Kuztown University.
Joe Zirolli (KENNETT, PA./KENNETT SQUARE) tied the program record for single-season home runs in a 9-3 West Chester victory to start the day, before
Jared Melone (NORTH WALES, PA./NORTH PENN),
Justin Horn (WILLOW GROVE, PA./UPPER DUBLIN) and
Jon Hansen (CHERRY HILL, N.J/ GEORGE MASON) all went yard in an 11-3 Golden Rams' victory to cap off the evening.
The Golden Rams improve to 25-13 overall behind a 15-9 mark in conference play following Sunday's sweep. Conversely, Kutztown drops to 5-29 on the year and 4-20 in PSAC action after Sunday's two defeats.
GAME ONE: West Chester 9 | Kutztown 3
- Both teams scored two runs in the first inning to square Sunday's opener through one, and the scoreboard remained stuck at 2-2 for the next four total innings.
- In the sixth, reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week and NCBWA Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week, Zirolli took the first pitch that he saw from KU's Doug Conrad over the right field wall to put the Golden Rams in front 3-2. Zirolli's long ball in game one was his second in two days and 13th on the year, which puts the senior into a four-way tie with Nick Ward (2018), Matt Baer (2010), and Blair Dameron (2009) for the most home runs by a Golden Rams in a single season.
- Holding a 3-2 lead entering the seventh, the Golden Rams hung six on KU in the top of the frame behind RBI from Melone, Zirolli and Luke Cantwell (BROOMALL, PA./MARPLE NEWTOWN).
- Reliever Andrew Scarpelli (LEWISBERRY, PA/TRINITY) came in a held Kutztown hitless in the bottom of the stanza to give the Golden Rams the convincing 9-3 win to kick off Sunday's twin bill.
Melone, Zirolli and Cantwell all recorded two hits in Sunday's opener, with Melone adding three RBI and two runs.
On the mound,
David Mervis (GATHERSBURG, MD/GONZAGA) (4-0) went 5.2 innings and struck out seven to remain unbeaten on the year.
GAME TWO: West Chester 11 | Kutztown 3
- The Golden Rams wasted no time in Sunday's nightcap, as Melone, Hansen and Horn all homered between the first two innings to put the visitors in front 6-0 entering the third. Melone's bomb in game two, his eighth of the season and 26th of his career, puts the third baseman in a three-way tie with Matt Baer (2009-2012) and Matt Cotellese (2005-09) for second on WCU's all-time career homers list.
- Corey Webb (EASTON, PA./EASTON) walked in a run in the fourth and Hansen followed with a RBI single to extend the Golden Rams' advantage to 8-0 through four.
- WCU tacked on three more in the top of the sixth to take a sizable 11-0 lead into the final inning of play.
- Trailing by 11, Kutztown's Brandon Heere sent a three-run homer out to left to end the day's scoring.
Hansen went 3-for-3 with two RBI in the win, while Melone and Horn both logged two hits and three RBI in Sunday's nightcap.
Culver Hughes (EXTON, PA./WEST CHESTER EAST) (1-0) got his first W of the season for the Purple & Gold after going 5.0 innings and striking out a career-high five batter against just three walks.
UP NEXT
The Golden Rams close out the 2019 regular season next weekend with a four-game series against Bloomsburg University. West Chester will host the Huskies for a doubleheader at home on Friday, before closing out the series with a twin bill at Bloomsburg on Saturday afternoon.
