STROUDSBURG, Pa.- The seventh-ranked West Chester University baseball team (15-5, 0-2) opened PSAC East play with a pair of losses at No. 12/30 East Stroudsburg (16-4, 2-0) on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Rams dropped game one by a 12-3 final before falling 11-5 in the nightcap.
Game One: ESU 12 WCU 3
WP: Ryan Dewees (4-0)
LP: Juian Costa (5-1)
East Stroudsburg jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of a leadoff home run, and a pair of RBI singles before West Chester rallied to tie the game at 3-3, heading to the bottom of the third.
Mark Elliott (Somers Point, N.J./Mainland Regional) worked a bases-loaded walk in the second to cut into the deficit before
Austin Stalker (Wyncombe, Pa./Council Rock North) and
Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) singled home a run each in the third to tie the game at 3-3.
This was the final time the game would be tied at ESU scored five runs in the third thanks to a two-RBI single and a three-run home run before another home run in the fourth inning and a passed ball stretched the lead to 11-3.
ESU tacked on one more run for emphasis in the sixth, rolling to the 12-3 victory.
Dewees was excellent for ESU in the victory, pitching 5.1 strong innings, scattering just three runs on four hits while walking two and striking out three.
Patrick Yoder pitched 1.2 in relief, allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out a pair.
Costa suffered his first loss of the season for the Golden Rams, allowing six runs on six hits and five walks while striking out three in 2.2 innings of work as one of four pitchers the Golden Rams turned to in the setback.
Game Two: ESU 11 WCU 5
WP: Gavin Sopko (3-1)
LP: Nick Noga (1-2)
Despite a second-inning RBI single by Elliott, ESU jumped out to an early 6-1 lead over West Chester through the first two innings.
Ben Bolhouse (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett) doubled home a run in the third to cut the deficit to 6-2 before East Stroudsburg responded with five runs of its own in the third to take an 11-2 lead.
West Chester got three runs back in the fourth when
Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West) doubled home a run before
Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) and
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) both singled home runs to cut the deficit to 11-5.
Unfortunately, this was as close as the Golden Rams could get as the Warrior bullpen was excellent in relief of Sopko, pitching three scoreless innings and scattering just four hits to sweep the doubleheader.
Gavin Sopko earned the victory, pitching 5.1 innings, scattering five runs on nine hits while striking out a pair.
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) suffered the loss, allowing 11 runs on nine hits and five walks while striking out one.
David Ferguson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit and one
walk while striking out five.
Up Next:
West Chester will look to pick an important series split at home tomorrow as East Stroudsburg comes to West Chester for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
