WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The No. 7/10 West Chester University baseball team (12-3) continued its homestand on Friday afternoon with the first two games of a four-game weekend series against Queens (5-9) on what turned out to be a beautiful day for baseball at Serpico Stadium. West Chester erased an early two-run deficit in a 15-2 game-one victory before posting an 11-0 shutout victory over its visitors in the nightcap to sweep the series opening doubleheader. The Golden Rams will look for a series sweep tomorrow when the Knights visit Serpico for two more games beginning at 12 p.m.
Trailing by two early in the first game of the day, West Chester's bats caught fire in the middle innings of game one and remained hot through the nightcap as the Golden Rams outscored Queens 26-2 over the final 12 innings of the doubleheader. The visiting Knights scored their second and final run of the day on a solo home run in the top of the third inning of game one.
Game One: WCU 15 Queens 2
WP: Julian Costa (4-0)
LP: Nate Rodriguez (0-1)
Queens jumped out to an early lead through two-and-a-half innings after scoring one run in the first and another in the third to hold an early 2-0 advantage over Costa and the Golden Rams.
West Chester tied the game at 2-2 in the third with a sac fly off the bat of
Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch on
Darius Troche (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin).
Ben Bolhouse (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett) gave West Chester the lead in the fourth inning with a flare to right, which scored
Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West) to make it 3-2 heading into the fifth.
In the fifth, West Chester exploded for eight runs on six hits, including RBI singles from
Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville), Spencer, Bolhouse, and Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) along with a bases-loaded hit by pitch and a sac fly from Welsch to give West Chester a commanding 11-2 lead heading into the sixth.
After a fifth inning, which saw 13 Golden Rams come to the plate, it only took one swing in the sixth for West Chester to add four more runs to its impressive total as Troche hit a towering grand slam to left for one of his two hits in the game to give West Chester a 15-2 lead late.
West Chester finished the game with 13 hits from seven players, including two hit games from Troche, Vaughan, Spencer, and Welsch, a 3-for-3 effort with three RBI, and a run scored by Bolhouse.
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) was strong once again in his fourth victory of the young season as he pitched six innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out five to remain unbeaten.
Danny Carr (Paoli, Pa./Great Valley) entered in relief for the seventh inning and was highly effective, allowing just one hit while striking out a pair before getting his final out on a lazy fly ball to Welsch in center to wrap up the victory.
Nate Rodriguez (0-1) suffered the loss for Queens, allowing three runs on five hits and six walks while striking out three in four innings of work. Reynaldo Angeles entered in relief in the fifth and struggled mightily, allowing seven runs on four hits while plunking three Golden Rams before exiting in favor of Chris Lamond.
Lamond had similar luck against the West Chester lineup, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk while hitting three more Golden Rams.
Andrew Yanez finished the game on the mound, getting the last out of the sixth on a fly ball.
Game Two: WCU 11 Queens 0
WP: Nick Noga (1-1)
LP: Chris Naronis (0-2)
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) was nothing short of outstanding in the nightcap, turning in a dominant complete-game shutout, which saw him scatter just two hits and one walk while striking out six to improve to 1-1 on the season.
Noga, who needed only 77 pitches to complete his seven-inning masterpiece, allowed his first hit of the game in the second inning and did not yield another hit until there were two outs in the seventh inning. After this, Noga allowed his first walk of the day but was unbothered, getting his final out on a ground ball to first to end the 11-run victory.
Spencer gave West Chester an early 1-0 lead with a single down the left field line, which scored
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) to give the Golden Rams the early lead.
West Chester added three in the second, beginning with a
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) double to left before Szestowicki drove home a pair with a two-RBI single down the line to make it 4-0.
Szestowicki picked up his third RBI of the game in the fourth inning via a sac fly before Bolhouse ripped at ripple into the right-center gap to make it a 7-0 lead heading into the fifth inning.
Strawhecker picked up his second RBI of the game with a single through the right side in the fifth inning, which stretched the lead to 8-0.
In the sixth, Vaughan worked a walk, which scored another run before
Gabe Caso (Califon, N.J./West Morris Central) singled home Spencer and
Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) to give the Golden Rams a commanding 11-0 advantage.
Chris Naronis (0-2) got the start and ate five important innings for Queens, allowing eight runs (five earned) on nine hits and four walks, while striking out three on 93 pitches.
Peter Bounougias, the designated hitter for much of the game, entered in relief for the sixth and allowed one run on three hits and three walks, while striking out one on 36 pitches in his sole inning of work.
West Chester scored its 11 runs on 10 hits and seven walks in the nightcap as Szestowicki, Bolhouse, and Strawhecker all turned in two-hit performances as Szestowicki drove home a team-best three runs. Strawhecker, Caso, and Bolhouse all drove home two in the victory.
Mark Elliott (Somers Point, N.J./Mainland Regional) worked a pair of walks and scored a pair of runs in the victory.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action tomorrow for the second half of its four-game set with Queens, beginning at 12 p.m.
