SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.-The 16
th-ranked and second-seeded West Chester baseball team (29-11) returned to action on Wednesday evening vs the third seed out of the PSAC West Mercyhurst (30-16) in a first round PSAC Tournament elimination game. West Chester held a lead heading into the late innings, but it was a three-run seventh, which gave Mercyhurst a 4-2 lead that they would never relinquish in a 5-2 victory over the Golden Rams.
Braeden Fausnaught (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) (7-2) got the start and pitched the first 7.0 innings, scattering four runs on three hits while striking out 10. Fausnaught ended his day with 10 strikeouts but it was a strikeout to end the second, which was his second of the game at the time, which entered him into the record books, as the lefty passed Larry Coyle (1986) for the single season strikeout record, registering his 90
th career strikeout to end the top of the second.
After two and a half scoreless innings to open the game, West Chester scratched across the first run of the game in the third after
Zack Wright (Columbus, N.J./Northern Burlington) and
Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) each reached safely. With two outs in the inning, Wright and Kaleck were on the move, stealing second and third, which setup the opportunity to Wright to score on a balk moments later and give WCU the first run of the game.
In the top of the fourth, Mercyhurst got this run right back with a leadoff home run to right field to even the score at 1-1. Fausnaught worked out of the inning with little difficulty after that, striking out his next two batters before getting a flyball to center to end the top of the fourth and keep the game locked at 1-1 heading into the home half of the inning.
In the home half,
Luke Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) reached on an error and stole second to give West Chester a runner on second with one out in the inning. Daniel Thomas (6-4), who got the starting nod for Mercyhurst, struck out
Keith Flaherty (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joes Prep) to get his second out of the inning before walking
J.R. Gifford (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and then allowed both Gifford and Cantwell to move up another 90-feet via his second balk in the last two innings, giving West Chester runners second and third with two outs in the inning.
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) made the error and balk hurt for the Lakers with an RBI single into left, which scored Cantwell but Gifford was thrown out at the plate to end the inning with West Chester leading 2-1 heading into the fifth.
Fausnaught worked quickly in the top of the fifth, getting a pair of fly outs to open the inning before striking out the final batter on three pitches as West Chester carried its 2-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth.
In the seventh, Mercyhurst evened the score with an RBI single into center field before taking the lead with a two-run home run to right field to take a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
During the Lakers seventh-inning rally,
Joe Messina (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) entered in relief of Fausnaught and got a pair of outs while walking two before exiting in favor of
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonnre & Prendie) who finished the game on the mound, surrendering one run on one hit while striking out one over the final 1.1.
In the bottom half of the seventh, Gifford gave the Golden Rams life with a double down the left field line but West Chester was unable to push him across the as the score remained locked at 4-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, West Chester loaded the bases with two outs after Cantwell worked a walk with runners on first and second, which closed the book on Thomas who earned the victory with a final line of 7.2 with six hits with two runs (one earned) while walking one and striking out eight. Jacob Bazala entered in relief of Thomas and worked out of the jam, striking out Flaherty to keep the score right where it was heading into the ninth.
In the top of the ninth, Mercyhurst added another run on a throwing error to take the a 5-2 lead into the last of the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth, Gifford started the inning with a single into left but the Golden Rams were unable to bring him around to score as West Chester fell by a final of 5-2.
Bazala finished the game out and picked up his fourth save of the year for Mercyhurst, scattering just one hit over 1.1 while striking out three in the victory.
Notes:
Fausnaught's 10 strikeouts tonight was his third game this season with 10 or more strikeouts and it moves his season total to 98, placing him just two strikeouts shy of becoming the first Golden Ram pitcher to record 100 strikeouts in a season.
Up Next:
West Chester will now await the NCAA Division II Selection Show on Sunday evening at 10 p.m. to learn its fate for the NCAA Tournament when it begins next week.
