WEST CHESTER, Pa.- For the first time in 740 days, the West Chester baseball team (10-2, 2-0 PSAC) took to its home field at Serpico Stadium, opening PSAC East play vs Lock Haven (6-9, 0-2 PSAC). West Chester trailed only briefly in the first game of the doubleheader but that was the only deficit West Chester would face on the afternoon as the Golden Rams outscored their guests 22-4 over the two games, cruising to a 6-2 game one victory, and an emphatic 16-3 game two victory to start PSAC East action off on the right foot.
Game One: WCU 6 LHU 2
In the top of the first, Lock Haven drew first blood, capitalizing on a leadoff double to take an early 1-0 lead off
Braeden Fausnaught (Danville, Pa./Danville) and the Golden Rams.
In the home half of the first, West Chester made certain its deficit would be short-lived, as two of the Golden Rams first three batters reached via a walk, setting up
Mike Ferrara (Jamison, Pa./Archbishop Wood) for the opportunity to launch a three-run home run and give West Chester a 3-1 lead heading into the second inning.
After a scoreless second and third, West Chester's explosive offense came to life again in the fourth, Following back-to-back singles by
Keith Flaherty (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) and
Luke Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown), JR Gifford (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) hit a three-run home run to center field, doubling the Golden Ram lead heading into the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, Lock Haven showed signs of offensive life, getting its first two batters of the inning on, which allowed the Bald Eagles to scratch across another run via an RBI single through the 5-6 hole to cut the deficit to 6-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
In the top of the seventh, Lock Haven threatened after a one-out double to left, but Fausnaught tight-roped out of danger, striking out the final Lock Haven batter for his seventh strikeout of the afternoon to improve to 3-0 on the year.
On the game as a whole, Fausnaught struck out seven while scattering seven hits and two runs with two walks in the complete-game victory.
For Lock Haven, David Keller took the ball for the Bald Eagles and went the distance, surrendering six runs on five hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in the setback.
Game Two: WCU 16 LHU 3
In the top of the first, Lock Haven threatened to repeat its game one start, getting runners on first and second early, but West Chester worked out of trouble to keep the game scoreless, heading into the home half.
In the home half of the first, West Chester loaded the bases with just one out, which allowed Cantwell to drive in the first run of the game on a sac fly to right field and give West Chester an early 1-0 lead. Flaherty followed this up with a walk to reload the bases with two outs, allowing
Justin Horn (Willow Grove, Pa./Upper Dublin) to scamper home on a wild pitch, and stretch the lead to 2-0.
Corey Stouffer (Souderton, Pa./North Penn) doubled the lead with an RBI single into center field to give West Chester a 4-0 lead.
After a scoreless top of the second and third, thanks to a pair of double play balls from
Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), West Chester extended its lead with another RBI sac fly from Cantwell to score Horn, who had opened the inning with a double to center field. West Chester extended its lead to 9-0 after a two-RBI single from
John DeMucci and a two-run home run from Sean Szestowciki, which closed the book on Lock Haven starter RJ Kruse, who finished with a final line of 2.2 with nine runs on five hits and two strikeouts in the loss.
In the top of the fourth, Lock Haven cut into the deficit, getting one run back on an RBI single into center, making the score 9-1 entering the bottom of the fourth.
In the fourth, Cantwell helped West Chester get the run back with an RBI single into left-center to make the score 10-1. West Chester stretched its lead to 11-1, heading into the fifth inning.
Over the final innings of regulation, West Chester continued its offensive onslaught, scoring five more runs while Lock Haven chipped away at the lead scoring a pair of runs of its own as the Golden Rams cruised to a 16-3 victory over the Bald Eagles.
Sperone got the victory on the mound, going the minimum five innings, scattering eight hits and two runs with one strikeout to improve to 4-0 on the year. In relief of Sperone,
Andrew Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown), Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner and Prendie), and Colin Kennedy (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) all pitched scoreless innings while
Nolan Graber (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) also pitched one inning surrendering just one run on one hit-a home run in the seventh inning.
For Lock Haven, Kruse was saddled with the loss as one of six pitchers who took the mound for the Bald Eagles in the game two setback.
Luke Cantwell was a big catalyst in the Golden Ram offense in the game two-victory, going 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI and three runs scored. In the second game, a total of eight different Golden Rams registered hits, including a long home run off the bat of Szestowicki.
Up Next:
West Chester and Lock Haven still have one game of the three game season series to be played next week at a date and location yet to be determined based off of field conditions. Currently, West Chester is set to return to action on Tuesday afternoon vs Sciences beginning at 3 p.m. at Serpico Stadium.
