SLIPPERY ROCK, PA –
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) and
Luke Cantwell (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) each homered to lead West Chester to a 7-2 victory over Indiana (Pa.) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament elimination game Friday evening.
West Chester (31-17) advances to the championship game and will need to beat Seton Hill (43-10) twice on Saturday to claim the 2023 title. IUP (25-29) saw its season come to a close after an impressive run to the conference semifinals.
The two combatants doing battle for the second time in as many days, traded runs in the first inning.
Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) walked with one out in the top of the first and then moved over to third on a single by
John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie). Cantwell then fouled out on the first-base side, but the ball was deep enough for Kaleck to score on the sacrifice fly.
Corey Stouffer (Souderton, Pa./North Penn) and
J.R. Gifford (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) led off the fourth with singles. One batter later, Szestowicki hit a three-run shot that put the Golden Rams on top, 4-1.
Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) and Kaleck each hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth that upped the Rams' lead to 6-1.
IUP got one back in the seventh. However, Cantwell hit his eighth home run of the season on an 0-2 pitch in the top of the ninth to make it 7-2. It was the 31st home run of Cantwell's career and third of the tournament. He is one of only two players in WCU history to reach 30 career home runs and is just one shy of the school record held by Mark Gilliford (2004-07).
David Ferguson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) got the start and went six innings to pick up his seventh win of the season. He allowed one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out two.
West Chester takes on Seton Hill Saturday at 11 a.m. The Golden Rams will need to win that one to force a winner-take-all second game for the PSAC crown.
