PHILADELPHIA –
Justin Horn (Willow Grove, Pa./Upper Dublin) went 4-for-5, and
Luke Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) hit his fourth home run of the season while knocking in six, as West Chester topped Pace University, 15-3, in a non-league baseball matchup at Father Judge High School Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (4-0) scored four in the second, five more in the fourth, four in the fifth and two more in the sixth while riding the left arm of starter
Braeden Fausnaught (Danville, Pa./Danville). The senior struck out nearly half the batters he faced against Pace (1-1).
The Setters, coming off an extra-inning win over University of the Sciences prior to the West Chester game, could not get anything going off of the Golden Rams' three hurlers. They managed just single runs in the third, seventh and eighth. West Chester scored 15 runs on 16 hits and committed three errors while Pace scored three runs on nine hits and committed a pair of errors.
Fausnaught was virtually untouchable Saturday. He struck out 12 of the 25 batters he faced over five innings. He allowed five hits, one unearned run and walked two. He threw one wild pitch and hit a batter.
Joe Messina (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) came on in relief in the sixth and tossed three innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He walked three, struck out one and hit a batter.
Nolan Graber (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) pitched the ninth and recorded a strikeout.
Cantwell got things going in the second when he homered to left following a walk to
Mike Ferrara (Jamison, Pa./Archbishop Wood).
Keith Flaherty (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) followed that with a double to center. After a strikeout,
J.R. Gifford (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) singled Flaherty to third.
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) then singled home Flaherty, and Gifford later would score on an error to make it 4-0 after two.
Gifford greeted Pace relief pitcher Christopher Vivenzio with a blast to left to lead off the fourth frame and make it a 5-0 ballgame. Szestowicki then doubled and stole third after
Zack Wright (Columbus, N.J./No. Burlington County Reg.) walked.
Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) knocked in Szestowicki on a fielder's choice, and Horn singled Kaleck to third while taking second on the throw. Cantwell then doubled in both Kaleck and Horn to extend the lead to 8-1. Gifford later would walk with the bases loaded to push across the ninth run.
Wright walked to lead off the sixth, and Horn followed with a single up the middle to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Ferrara delivered an RBI single through the right side, plating Wright, before Flaherty doubled to left scoring Horn to make it 15-1 in favor of the Golden Rams.
West Chester's 3-4-5 hitters went 8-for-13 with eight runs scored and seven RBI. Cantwell finished 3-for-5 while Flaherty went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Gifford was 2-for-2 with his first home run of the season, before being replaced behind the dish by
John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie).
The Golden Rams take on USciences Sunday in a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
