CARY, N.C. - West Chester University baseball hung on to an early lead and defeated Franklin Pierce University, 6-5, in Cary, N.C., on Friday to improve to 5-2 this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED | WEST CHESTER 6, FRANKLIN PIERCE 5
- The Golden Rams fell behind 1-0 in the first inning but bounced back in the top of the second when senior designated hitter Ryan Calhoun (North Wales, Pa. / Germantown Academy) singled and ultimately came around to tie the game on a fielder's choice groundout by senior third baseman Keith Flaherty (Philadelphia, Pa. / St. Joseph's Prep).
- Again, the Ravens went ahead in the bottom of the second, but West Chester took a commanding 6-3 lead by scoring three in the third and two in the fourth.
- A single by junior second baseman Nick D'Amore (Philadelphia, Pa. / Neumann-Goretti) scored two, and junior first baseman Hunter Reeser (Mohnton, Pa. / Governor Mifflin) drove in one with a base knock.
- Graduate right fielder Drew Jarmuz (Kennett Square, Pa. / Unionville) delivered the big blow by tripling to record an RBI, and he eventually scored on a wild pitch.
- The score remained 6-3 for five innings until FPU plated two in the bottom of the ninth. Nonetheless, junior relief pitcher Nick Picariello (Philadelphia, Pa. / Germantown Academy) struck out the last batter of the game to pick up his first save of the season.Â
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Jarmuz went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, two runs scored and one RBI. He has a team-high 12 hits through seven games this season, including four doubles, two triples and a walk-off home run. Jarmuz has a .414 batting average and a 1.264 OPS. Both of those numbers rank second on the team behind D'Amore, who also had two hits against Franklin Pierce.
- Graduate relief pitcher Culver Hughes (Exton, Pa. / West Chester East) was lights out in this one, pitching three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.Â
The Golden Rams pick back up in Cary, N.C., on Saturday with a doubleheader against Indiana University of Pennsylvania beginning at 9 a.m.
