CARY, N.C.- Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) pitched a complete-game no hitter in game one to lead the No. 8/10 West Chester University baseball team (4-2) to a split with St. Thomas Aquinas (2-4) on Friday afternoon at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. West Chester won the first game by a 6-0 final before dropping the nightcap by a 4-3 final in extra innings.
John Dunion (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) had a great day at the plate, picking up three hits in the doubleheader, including a pair of two-run home runs.
Game One: WCU 6 STAC 0
WP: Julian Costa (2-0)
LP: Andrew Alameda (1-1)
Costa was masterful as he became the first pitcher under LaRosa to throw a no-hitter and is believed to be just the second Golden Ram pitcher in team history to do so, with the lone other being Nicholas Frank in 1947.
The big lefty from South Jersey carried a perfect game through 6.2 innings before yielding his lone walk of the afternoon and striking out nine to earn his second victory of the year.
West Chester jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) singled home
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway), staking the Golden Rams to the early advantage.
West Chester stretched its lead to 3-0 in the second with a two-run shot off the bat of
Shane Adamski (Deptford, N.J./Deptford) before tacking ont wo more runs in the sixth when
John Dunion (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) hit his second home run of the year after scoring on Adamski's home run earlier in the game.
Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) finished the scoring for West Chester with an RBI single in the seventh that gave the Golden Rams a 6-0 lead.
Led by a 3-for-4 effort at the plate with two runs scored by Szestowicki and a 2-for-3 effort by Dunion, West Chester scored its six runs on 10 hits while striking out only twice and leaving just four runners on base.
Andrew Alameda suffered the loss for STAC, allowing five runs on eight hits, while striking out two and hitting a pair as he fell to 1-1 on the season.
Game Two: STAC 4 WCU 3 (8 Innings)
WP: Kyle Rogers (1-0)
LP: Evan Wineburg (0-1)
Stalker helped give West Chester an early 1-0 lead in game two, grounding into a double-play, which scored
Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West), who had led off the home first with a single.
West Chester held a 1-0 lead into the third before STAC pushed across three runs to take a 3-1 lead.
Dunion tied the game in the fourth with his second two-run home run of the day and third of the year to tie the game at 3-3.
West Chester threatened in the sixth and seventh innings but could not push across the winning run, sending the game to extra innings.
In extra innings, STAC used a double to get a runner in scoring position, and Brian Klumpp singled him home to give the Spartans a 4-3 lead heading into the home half of the eighth.
Andrew Dankanich (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti) gave West Chester late life with a one-out single and a steal of second but was left stranded as Kyle Rogers struck out Dunion and
Patrick Gozdan to escape with the split.
Andrew Schoelles got the start for STAC and allowed three runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings of work, while Rogers pitched the final 2.1, scattering just two hits, while striking out three in the victory.
Evan Wineburg (Norristow, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) was one of five pitchers West Chester turned to in the setback as he suffered the tough-luck loss after allowing one run on two hits while striking out a pair.
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) got the start and lasted just 2.0 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out three.
David Ferguson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) pitched two scoreless, hitless innings in relief with two strikeouts. At the same time,
Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) and
Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) also turned in scoreless relief performances in the loss.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday afternoon vs Wheeling, beginning at 12 p.m.
