SLIPPERY ROCK, PA – West Chester rebounded from a disastrous first inning played in a downpour to defeat Shippensburg, 10-8, and advance to the winner's bracket final of the 2024 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Baseball Tournament Thursday afternoon.
Eighth-ranked West Chester (41-7) will take on 24th-ranked East Stroudsburg (40-10) Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. for the right to advance to the conference final for the second year in a row. Three of the four teams left in the PSAC Tournament are out of the Eastern Division. West Chester won the season series from East Stroudsburg 3 games to 1.
Shippensburg jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when the skies opened up during the Raiders' at bats. West Chester starter, left-hander
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview), did not return after a rain delay that lasted approximately one hour. Shippensburg starter, Ryan Gleason (5-3), did return, but ran into trouble in the fourth.
West Chester put up nine runs in the fourth to come all the way back and take a 9-4 lead.
Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) provided the big blow in his first at bat of the frame with a bases loaded double down the right-field line that cleared the bases. He doubled his next time up and drove in another run for a four-RBI inning in which West Chester sent 14 batters to the plate.
Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) led off the fourth with a bunt single that marked his 200th career base hit. He hit a two-run single his next time up in the fourth.
For Shippensburg's part, it put up a three-spot in its half of the fourth, and after a combined 12-run inning, West Chester still clung to a 9-7 advantage.
West Chester's
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) relieved Costa after the rain delay and threw 5 2/3 innings. He picked up the win to improve to 6-1 on the year, yielding three runs on nine hits and striking out three.
Dylan Howanitz (Archbald, Pa./Valley View) threw the final three innings to pick up his second save of the season.
Boccio finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and three runs scored. He also walked twice. Vaughan was 2-for-5 with the four RBI in the fourth.
John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) was 2-for-5 as well with a run scored.
NOTES: West Chester improved to 2-0 in the PSAC Tournament … it marks the second straight year in which West Chester has won the first two games of the postseason conference tournament and the seventh time overall … the Golden Rams' 10-8 win over Shippensburg is the first time in five meetings this year that the purple & gold came out on top in a head-to-head game with Shippensburg … the last time West Chester won its first two games of the tournament and went on to win the title was 2016 … the Golden Rams have won their first two games of the tournament and won the conference championship three times (1985, 2009, 2016).
