CORNING, NY –
Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) went 3-for-5 with a double, triple and three RBI to lead West Chester to a 14-8 victory in game two and a split of the Golden Rams' Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader against Mansfield at Corning Community College Sunday afternoon.
West Chester (14-3, 5-1 PSAC East) saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end in the first game, 8-5 to Mansfield (7-10, 1-4), but bounced back nicely with a 14-run, 12-hit effort in the nightcap.
The Golden Rams scored in each of the first five innings, including a five-spot in both the third and fifth that opened up a 13-4 advantage and put the game out of reach.
Justin Horn (Willow Grove, Pa./Upper Dublin) and
Corey Stouffer (Souderton, Pa./North Penn) each had RBI ground outs in the first and second innings, respectively.
Mansfield put up four runs in the second to jump back in front, 4-2. However, West Chester responded with the first of its two five-run frames in the top of the third and never looked back. Kaleck started off the rally with a two-run triple. He eventually scored on the hit when the Mountaineers center fielder committed an error.
Keith Flaherty (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) hit a sacrifice fly, and Stouffer then singled up the middle plating
Mike Ferrara (Jamison, Pa./Archbishop Wood).
Horn singled in a run in the fourth that made it 8-4, before the Golden Rams broke out the rally bats again in the fifth sparked by another extra-base hit from Kaleck.
Zack Wright (Columbus, N.J./No. Burlington County Regional) singled up the middle to score
Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn). Kaleck followed with a double down the left-field line and later scored on a wild pitch. Stouffer singled in a run, and
Luke Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) later scored.
West Chester stole 14 bases in game two of the doubleheader, setting both school and conference single-game record.
Andrew Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) got the start in game two and lasted four innings. He surrendered four runs, two of them earned, on four hits. He walked two and struck out one.
Nolan Graber (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) came on in relief and tossed 2.1 innings, yielding two more runs on four more hits. He walked one and struck out two to pick up the win.
In the opener, West Chester battled back from a 4-1 deficit to knot the game at 4-all with a three-spot in the fourth. However, Mansfield answered right back with three more of its own in the bottom half, and the Golden Rams never got closer than a pair after that.
J.R. Gifford (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) hit a two-run single, and Wright added a run-scoring single of his own in the fourth to get West Chester back in the contest.
The Mountaineers led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back doubles that chased starter
Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara).
Ferrara doubled to lead off the fifth, and Stouffer later tripled him home to make it 7-5. But, Manfield answered again with a run in the sixth to close out the scoring at 8-5.
Stouffer finished the first game 3-for-4 while
Luke Cantwell and Horn each had a pair of hits.
West Chester travels to Jefferson University on Thursday for the first round of the Bill Giles Classic at Alumni Field at 3 p.m. The winner of that contest will take on the Wilmington vs. USciences winner at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia.
