WEST CHESTER, PA – West Chester tied game two on a throwing error in the ninth and then put up three runs in the top half of the 11th to finish off a sweep of its NCAA Atlantic Region doubleheader against Seton Hill and advance to the Super Regional next weekend.
West Chester (32-12) needed two wins entering Saturday to stave off elimination, after Seton Hill (33-19-1) downed the Golden Rams, 18-7, on Friday. WCU took the opener Saturday, 5-4, before claiming victory in thrilling fashion, 9-6 in 11 innings, in the nightcap at Serpico Stadium. The Golden Rams will host the Atlantic Super Regional next Friday and Saturday against either East Stroudsburg, or Charleston, which will play Sunday in the final of the other Atlantic Region first-round pod.
"They are such a tough group of guys," West Chester second-year head coach
Mike LaRosa said about his charges. "The mental fortitude to come back and get two today, in this heat, especially after the thumping we took yesterday, is impressive."
Seton Hill cleanup hitter, Neal McDermott, hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning that erased a three-run deficit and put the Griffins in front, 6-5. That's the way things stood until the Golden Rams' final at bats in the top of the ninth.
Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) led off with a single, and
Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) came on to run for him.
Zack Wright (Columbus, N.J./No. Burlington County Regional) was walked, leaving runners on first and second with nobody out.
Justin Horn (Willow Grove, Pa./Upper Dublin) then laid down a bunt on Griffins' closer, Nash Bryan, but Bryan threw out Profy at third. What happened next was the difference in the game.
LaRosa called for a double steal, and Seton Hill catcher Vinny Rauso threw down to second to try to catch Horn. However, his throw got away from shortstop Owen Sabol and rolled into shallow center. Wright, who had stolen third, raced home with the game-tying run.
West Chester closer,
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie), who had tossed four innings to secure his fifth save of the season in game one's 5-4 win, kept Seton Hill at bay since entering in the seventh until the Golden Rams could finally breakthrough in the top of the 11th for three decisive runs.
J.R. Gifford (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) led off the 11th with a double to left-center.
John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) followed with a single. Wright reached on a fielder's choice when Seton Hill couldn't finish off a double play, but Gifford scored the go-ahead run. Horn then singled, moving Wright to second with one out.
Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) singled in Wright, but Horn was thrown out at the plate on the back end of the play. Ferrara followed with a double to left-center that scored Kaleck, and he continued to third when the left-fielder let the ball get under his glove and roll past him. Those three runs were all West Chester needed with Lazer silencing Seton Hill's bats that had rapped out 39 hits in its first two games of the regional. Lazer (5-1) picked up the win in game two. He threw a combined 129 pitches in the two games Saturday and struck out nine over nine total innings of work.
"I told Coach (LaRosa) that I'm good for as many innings as he needs," Lazer said. "I didn't want this to be the last game for all of these seniors. I'm always thinking of them when I take the ball. Everyone is so close on this team. I just don't want to let them down."
Lazer was not the only Golden Rams' hurler working overtime to get West Chester to the Super Regional. LaRosa gave the Game 2 ball to senior left-hander
Braeden Fausnaught (Danville, Pa./Danville) on just one day rest following a 118-pitch performance in a 2-1 win over Slippery Rock on Thursday. He gave LaRosa four strong innings and another 57 pitches, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out four.
Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), who pitched five innings in game one on Saturday to improve to 7-2, came back in game two and gave LaRosa a scoreless inning before handing the ball to Lazer.
"I told (Fausnaught) after Thursday's win to prepare like he'd be pitching on Saturday – just in case this type of situation arose and we needed him," LaRosa said. "He came to us after (Friday's loss) and said, 'I want the ball'. We pretty much knew then he would start game two. (Fausnaught) then went to Sperone and said, "'Get us to Game 2.'
"He is an absolute workhorse. It helps when your best pitcher is your hardest worker. He emptied the tank and gave us everything he had left. He wanted to go back out there (in the fifth inning). But, there comes a point where you are flirting with crazy, and we were pretty much there. His health was the most important thing, and we have another weekend to play."
Those gritty performances from pitchers throwing in 95-degree heat on short rest, and the players behind them engineering a pair of come-from-behind victories, is what has West Chester's season continuing for another week.
"We have a bunch of dogs on this team," Ferrara declared. "(Fausnaught) throwing almost 200 pitches, DeMucci, our backup catcher, coming in to play second base, every guy stepped up. It was truly incredible."
Trailing 3-1 in the opener, West Chester scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. Horn walked and stole second with one out. Ferrara singled him home.
Luke Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) then walked, and
Keith Flaherty (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) greeted Seton Hill reliever Payton Faris with a bases-clearing double to left-center.
The Griffins got one back in the seventh on Lazer, but that was all the freshman fire-baller gave them.
Local product, Cantwell, finished the twinbill 4-for-7 with his 10th home run of the season in game one. Ferrara was 3-for-10 with three RBIs.
East Stroudsburg plays University of Charleston (W.Va.) on Sunday at Cooper Park in Millersville to see who will advance out of that pod and join West Chester in the Super Regional. That best-of-3 Super Regional will be played at Serpico Stadium next Friday and Saturday.
