WEST CHESTER, Pa.- After dropping the opening game of the three-game set against Bloomsburg (14-12, 8-7) on Friday afternoon, the West Chester baseball team (20-10, 7-5) returned home on Monday afternoon to conclude its series with the Huskies and begin a four-game homestand. West Chester got a stellar pitching performance from
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) in game one to earn a 3-1 victory before falling 9-4 in the nightcap.
Game One: WCU 3 Bloomsburg 1
Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) gave West Chester a 2-0 lead in the second with a two-RBI single into right field. West Chester added another run via an RBI single up the middle by
Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) before the Huskies got Miles out at the plate as he tried to score from the second, sending the game to the third with West Chester leading 3-0.
Bloomsburg pushed across a run of its own in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-1 heading into the home half of the fourth. This was the only run Costa would allow as he scattered just six hits over his seven innings of work while striking out a pair to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Nate Baranski got the start for Bloomsburg and pitched well, striking out seven over his six innings of work while allowing just six hits and three runs to fall to 2-3 on the year.
Game Two: Bloomsburg 9 WCU 4
Bloomsburg took an early lead in the second game of the afternoon, using three first-inning hits to left to take a 2-0 lead into the home half of the second.
Bloomsburg tacked on five runs on three hits and a series of walks in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead into the home half of the fourth.
John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) cut into the deficit with an RBI double down the left field line in the fifth, making it a 7-1 game heading into the sixth.
Bloomsburg tacked on another run in the eighth, which allowed the visitors to carry an 8-1 lead into the home half of the eighth.
Scott Gilbert delivered a great-pitching performance for Bloomsburg, tossing seven shutout innings scattering just four hits and one run on four walks while striking out seven to improve to 2-1 on the year. Brandon Walters entered in the eighth in relief of Gilbert
Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) got the start on the mound and fell to 5-2 on the year, allowing seven runs on five hits and four walks in 3.1 while striking out three before exiting in the fourth for
Dylan Howanitz (Archbald, Pa./Valley View). Howanitz got the final two outs of the fourth after allowing an early hit and worked two scoreless innings after that, striking out five in his 2.2 innings of work before being relieved by
Jeb Kurtz (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone).
Kurtz entered in the top of the seventh and worked a scoreless inning before allowing one run in the eighth, finishing with a final line of one run on four hits and one walk over the course of his two innings of work.
Evan Snyder (Cheyney, Pa./Rustin) entered in relief for the ninth and was greeted with a leadoff double to left center, which after a sac bunt and sac fly, allowed the Huskies to take a 9-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
In need of a big comeback in the ninth inning, West Chester strung together three consecutive two-out singles to get one run back. DeMucci kept the line moving with a two-RBI single into center, which made the score 9-4 before Bloomsburg escaped the inning and captured the game-two victory.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action on Wednesday at home against Adelphi beginning at 3 p.m. before jumping back into PSAC East play with a matchup against Shepherd at home on Friday afternoon.
