LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- Looking for its second series win of the season, No. 9 West Chester (12-6, 3-3) returned to action on Saturday afternoon at Lock Haven (9-7, 3-3) for the doubleheader portion of its three-game series against the Bald Eagles. The Golden Rams led midway through both games of the doubleheader, but the Bald Eagles used a pair of late-game rallies to pick up the sweep, earning a 4-3 win in the first game before taking the second game by an 11-8 final to also pick up the series win.
Game One: Lock Haven 4 WCU 3
J.R. Gifford (Doylestown, Pa/Archbishop Wood) drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single down the left-field line in the first, scoring
Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman), who had reached to open the game.
Lock Haven answered with a pair of runs in the home half of the first, capitalizing on an error by the Golden Rams to take a 2-1 lead.
West Chester did not trail for long as
Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) answered with a two-RBI single in the top of the second to give West Chester back a 3-2 lead.
West Chester continued to hold on to its one-run lead into the fifth before Lock Haven scored two on another Golden Ram error to take a 4-3 lead into the sixth.
This one-run lead held up entering the seventh, and West Chester tried to tie the game late, but the Bald Eagles worked around an early Golden Ram runner to hold on for a 4-3 win over the visiting Golden Rams.
David Ferguson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) got the start and was saddled with the loss, tossing the first four innings, scattering five hits and four runs (one earned) while walking four and striking out one.
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) entered in relief and pitched two scoreless innings to end the game, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out one.
Kevin Worek got the start for Lock Haven and was outstanding on Saturday afternoon, limiting the potent Golden Ram offense to just three runs on seven hits while striking out six as he went the distance in the game-one win.
Game Two: LHU 11 WCU 8
Lock Haven jumped out to an early 1-0 lead over West Chester with a solo home run in the first inning off the bat of Gavin Troutman.
Lock Haven's 1-0 lead would stand until the top of the fourth when
David Alleva (Cherry Hill, N.J./Bishop Eustace) rocketed a double down the right-field line, which plated Gifford and evened the score at 1-1. The Bald Eagles had a quick answer in the home half, countering with an RBI double of their own to pull back out to a 2-1 lead over the ninth-ranked Golden Rams.
In the fifth,
Luke Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) singled home
Corey Stouffer (Souderton, Pa./North Penn) while also moving Profy to third, which allowed him to score on a double-play ball from Gifford, putting the Golden Rams back out in front of the Bald Eagles 3-2.
John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) reached on an error, allowing Kaleck to find his way home, moving the lead to 4-2.
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) launched a two-run home run moments later, which gave West Chester a seemingly comfortable 6-2 lead over its hosts.
Lock Haven answered quickly in the home half of the fifth, starting its scoring with a three-run home run, which cut the lead to 6-5 before scoring five more to take a 10-6 lead into the sixth. Cantwell got one back for West Chester in the sixth, hitting an RBI single through the left side to trim the deficit to 10-7. Troutman homered again for Lock Haven in the seventh, stretching the Bald Eagles lead back to four (11-7).
West Chester attempted to mount another late comeback in the ninth, getting a run back via an RBI double from Szestowicki, which cut the deficit to 11-8, but this is as close as West Chester would get as Lock Haven picked up the game two and series victory on Saturday afternoon.
Ryan DeHaven (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) (2-2) got the start and lasted just 4.1 on the mound, allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits while striking out a pair before exiting for
Jeb Kurtz (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone).
Kurtz came in and got one for West Chester while allowing three of unearned runs on two hits while striking out one before being lifted for
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove). Noga entered and walked his first two batters before exiting in favor of
Gabe Rappa (Paulsboro, N.J./Neumann-Goretti), who finished the fifth for West Chester. Rappa finished his day with a final line of 2.1 innings pitched, allowing one run on three hits.
Dylan Howanitz (Archbald, Pa./Valley View) entered in relief of Rappa and finished the game on the mound, pitching a scoreless eighth, allowing just one hit, while striking out a pair to finish out the series.
Sean Brennan, who entered in relief late in the fifth, pitched the final 4.1 for the Bald Eagles, holding the Golden Rams to just two runs on four hits while striking out eight to pick up his first win of the season.
This victory gives Lock Haven its first doubleheader sweep of the Golden Rams since the 2017-18 season when West Chester was swept by the Bald Eagles in the three-game set.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Tuesday at Jefferson beginning at 2 p.m. before starting a three-game set with Mansfield on the road next Friday at 2 p.m.
