FULL REPLAY
CARY, NC – West Chester kept its season alive once again with a 12-2 victory over Angelo State (TX) in an elimination game at the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championships at Coleman Field Wednesday afternoon at the USA Baseball National Training Center.
West Chester (36-15) is now 6-0 in elimination games this postseason with the win. Angelo State (51-14) saw its season come to a close with the loss.
"Big thing for us is that we got out to a big lead early," West Chester head coach
Mike LaRosa said. "Andrew (Cantwell) pitched a great game. He kept them off balance all day. I think they had eight hits against him, but only one was hit hard."
Sophomore left-handed starter,
Andrew Cantwell (1-3), threw a gem through seven innings. Making his first start since April 19 at Citizens Bank Park, he allowed one run on eight hits while walking two and striking out five.
"My brother (Luke) showed me a little two-minute video on the bus ride over to the game of a guy talking to his football team, and it meant a lot to me," the younger Cantwell revealed. "So, I just tried to keep it cool. I didn't try to work too fast. (Coach LaRosa) wanted me to hold runners on, and I think I did a good job of that for the most part."
West Chester scored 12 runs on 12 hits and made two errors. Angelo State scored two runs on 10 hits and also committed two errors.
"Obviously, I wish we could have played a little better," Angelo State head coach Kevin Brooks said in the press conference. "But, you have to give West Chester a lot of credit for jumping out to that big lead in an elimination game. I don't think we ran out of gas. I think you have to tip your cap to the opponent."
Justin Horn got things started early against Angelo State starter, Ben Elder (9-3), hitting a two-run home run to left field.
Zack Wright, who had reached on a single down the third base line right before him, scored. It was Horn's first homer of the season.
West Chester broke things open with a six-run fourth. Angelo State walked the bases loaded with nobody out, and
Zack Wright got a run home when he reached on a throwing error. Horn followed with a two-run single, knocking in his third and fourth runs of the game.
Mike Ferrara followed with a RBI single to center, and two batters later, Flaherty doubled down the line to score Ferrara. West Chester scored the other run on a wild pitch that allowed J.R. Gifford to score from third.
"It was a slider up in the zone," Horn commented afterwards about his first home run of the season. "We were trying to stay up the middle for the most part. That was just a classic case of catching one out in front. We knew he was going to flip breakers early in the count, and I got a hold of one."
Angelo State finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. However, Cantwell had ASU off balance all afternoon.
West Chester advances to the national semifinals with the win. The Golden Rams will take on top-ranked North Greenville University (S.C.) on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. West Chester will have to defeat the Crusaders twice to get to the national championship game on Saturday.
NOTES: West Chester improves to 10-5 at the national finals with its win Wednesday … Sr., 1B
Mike Ferrara officially holds the record for most times being hit by a pitch in a single season in school history … he has been hit now 26 times …
Andrew Cantwell threw 118 pitches, and tied for the longest outing of his career (7.0 IP vs. Lock Haven May 8, 2021 … that was also the last time he was the winning pitcher in a contest.
