WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Needing a win to stave off elimination and ensure its season would continue until at least Saturday afternoon, the top-seeded No. 7/8 West Chester University baseball team (43-9) returned to action on Friday afternoon vs fifth-seed Indiana (Pa.) (35-15). The Crimson Hawks got a stellar complete-game effort from sophomore Derrick Shields and rode this effort to a 9-3 upset victory over the top-seeded Golden Rams.
"I have to tip my cap to IUP," opened head coach Mike LaRosa. "Shields pitched a tremendous game against us to keep our offense in check. He only had one three-ball count all day, and that was in the ninth, so he did a great job hitting his spots and keeping us off balance with a good three-pitch mix. We didn't make our pitches today; to IUP's credit, they made the most of our mistakes and got some big, timely hits against us. It's a shame to have our season end this week with such a great team that has fought so hard and played so well all season, but we just struggled to get things going this week."
Today's setback concludes West Chester's 2024 baseball season. The team finished its historic season with 43 wins, setting a new program record for the longest winning streak (21) and winning its first PSAC Tournament title since the 2016 season before its NCAA Tournament departure.
"It was a tremendous season, and this group has a lot to be proud of," acknowledged LaRosa when asked about the Golden Rams 2024 season. "To finish the year 43-9 with a PSAC Championship, set the winning-streak record, and have two other 10-game win streaks during the year is certainly special. We had a solid group this year across the board, and great leadership carried us through the season. Right now, it is certainly hard because it's raw, but in time, I hope the guys can look back and see how much we accomplished and have to be proud of," concluded LaRosa.
With this victory, IUP will face Charleston on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Crimson Hawks will serve as the visitors for game one tomorrow and will need only one win to punch their ticket to the Super Regionals, while the Golden Eagles, who enter the matchup well rested after going 1-1 on Thursday to punch its ticket to Saturday.
After two-and-a-half scoreless innings to begin the game, IUP used a two-out single to get runners on first and third in the home half of the third before a Ricardo Aponte double gave the Crimson Hawks a 1-0 lead heading into the fourth.
IUP added three more runs in the fourth on four hits, including a pair of RBI singles, while adding another run on a ball-four wild pitch to take a comfortable 4-0 lead into the fifth.
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) cut the deficit in half in the fourth, taking a 1-2 offering over the right-field fence for a two-run home run, scoring Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) as well who had reached on a wild pitch to open the inning.
West Chester kept its visitors scoreless through the fifth, but IUP returned the favor in the top of the sixth and promptly tacked on four more runs, thanks in large part to a two-RBI triple by Peyton Johnson, which also put Johnson in position to score on a wild pitch moments later, thus, extending the lead to 8-2 after six innings.
Harrison Pontoli added an insurance run for IUP in the seventh with a one-out RBI single into the right-center gap, which closed the book on Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie), who had entered in relief of David Ferguson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) in the sixth.
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) entered in relief of Lazer in the seventh and pitched well over the final 1.2, allowing just one hit and pair of walks while striking out one to keep the Crimson Hawk offense off the scoreboard late.
West Chester got a run back in the eighth as John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) rocketed the first pitch he saw for an RBI double off the left field fence, which scored Zack Miles (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn), who had singled to center to open the inning. This was all that West Chester would muster in the eighth, and despite baserunners in the ninth, this proved to be the game's final run as the Crimson Hawks completed a 9-3 upset victory over the host Golden Rams.
Shields was nothing short of outstanding for IUP on Friday afternoon, going the distance on the mound and limiting the high-powered West Chester offense to three runs on nine hits while striking out as he improved to 7-4 on the year.
Joe Sperone (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) concluded his Golden Ram career with a setback, working the first 3.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out one. Gannon Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) entered in relief and faced one batter, yielding a walk, before exiting for Dylan Howanitz (Archbald, Pa./Valley View), who pitched a scoreless 1.1, allowing just two hits during his time on the mound. Ferguson and Lazer each worked two-thirds of an inning, allowing three runs and two runs, respectively, before Noga finished things out for the Purple and Gold.
Harrison Pontoli continued his strong regional as he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Ricardo Aponte drove in two more runs, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk as well. All told IUP picked up 12 hits in the victory, and eight of nine Crimson Hawks registered a hit, with four of them (Pontoli, Aponte, Blaise Zeiders, and Au'Sean Owens), each registering at least two hits. Davin Landers was the lone Crimson Hawk not to record a hit on Friday afternoon. However, the junior catcher still impacted the game offensively, working a walk and scoring a pair of runs in the upset victory.
DeMucci was the lone Golden Ram to record a multi-hit game on Friday afternoon, going 2-for-4 with an RBI as one of eight West Chester players to record a hit in the setback.
