No. 7/10 West Chester Sweeps Clarion in Season Opener

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DINWIDDIE, VA – J.R. Gifford (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning in the first game of a doubleheader, and Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) was 2-for-4 with a home run and a pair of RBI in the nightcap as West Chester swept a twinbill from Clarion University by the scores of 4-3 and 6-4 Saturday afternoon at the Division II Baseball Challenge.
 
Miles' leadoff homer in the sixth tied the score for the Golden Rams, initially. Gifford then followed with a bomb of his own to virtually the same spot to put West Chester (2-0) on top for good.
 
Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) started the first game and went five scoreless innings. He scattered five hits and walked one while striking out six. Dylan Howanitz (Archbald, Pa./Valley View) picked up the win in relief while Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) earned the save.
 
In the second game, Profy led off the contest with a home run and Sean Slowinski (Richboro, Pa./Archbishop Wood) hit a two-run double in the third that staked West Chester to a 3-2 lead after three. Profy singled home John Dunion (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum), who had doubled, for the fifth run of the game in the fourth inning. Miles walked and later scored on a fielder's choice by Mark Elliott (Somers Point, N.J./Mainland Regional) in the sixth to make it a 6-4 game.
 
Andrew Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) pitched four innings in relief to pick up the win. He surrendered three runs, only one earned, on five hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. Gabe Rappa (Paulsboro, N.J./Neumann-Goretti) earned the save.
 
West Chester finishes up its trip to Virginia on Sunday with a doubleheader against Tiffin University at 9:30 a.m.