WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The No. 20/22 West Chester University baseball team (30-9, 12-6) improved to 15-0 at home this season with a pair of victories over Bloomsburg (14-23, 4-14), dispatching the Huskies by 7-3 and 7-1 finals on a picture-perfect Friday afternoon in West Chester.
Game One: WCU 7 Bloomsburg 3
WP: Julian Costa (8-2)
LP: Brian Walsh (1-2)
A pair of two-run home runs by
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) and
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) gave West Chester a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) helped West Chester stretch its lead to 5-0 in the second with a sac fly to right before the Huskies scored three in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-3 heading into the home fourth.
Szestowicki picked up his third RBI of the game with a sac fly to left in the home fourth, which scored
Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West), who had found his way to third after a failed pickoff attempt sent the ball sailing into right field earlier in the inning.
West Chester manufactured its seventh and final run of the game in the sixth with a perfectly executed double steal, which, after a throwing error by the Huskies catcher, allowed
Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) to score and give the Golden Rams a 7-3 lead.
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) (8-2) earned his eighth win of the year on the mound, allowing three runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out two.
Jesse Specter (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown), Gannon Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour), and
Evan Wineburg (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) all pitched a scoreless inning in relief to close out the victory.
Brian Walsh (2-1) suffered his first loss of the year after allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and four walks while striking out four in the setback.
Game Two: WCU 7 Bloomsburg
WP: Nick Noga (5-2)
LP: Scott Gilbert (1-2)
Bloomsburg took an early lead in the nightcap courtesy of a Golden Ram fielding error, which gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead and extended the inning.
Kyle Kearns (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) escaped the inning without further damage, getting a foul-out to third to escape a jam with runners on second and third.
West Chester erased the deficit in the first with an RBI double by
Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) and an RBI single by Stalker, which scored Boccio, who had reached third courtesy of a throwing error by the Huskies. Vaughan reached on an error, and
Darius Troche (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin) worked a walk to load the bases with one out in the first.
Gabe Caso (Califon, N.J./West Morris Central) stretched the lead to 3-1 with a four-pitch walk, which led to an early mound visit for the Huskies.
Following this visit,
Mark Elliott (Somers Point, N.J./Mainland Regional) battled his way to a sac fly to left, which scored Vaughan and gave West Chester a 4-1 lead.
Gozdan extended the lead to 5-1 and chased Scott Gilbert with an RBI single through the left side to score Troche.
Gilbert got just two outs in his starting effort, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out one. Pete Modrovsky entered in relief and escaped the inning after allowing a bunt single to keep the deficit at 5-1 heading into the second.
Modrovsky pitched well in relief, allowing just two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one in 4.1 innings on relief before Christian Zito worked a scoreless sixth, allowing one hit and striking out one in his inning of relief.
West Chester added a run in the third inning with an RBI single from Boccio to score Szestowicki and give the Golden Rams a commanding 6-1 lead.
Szestowicki added another RBI in the fifth inning with an RBI single to right center as he was 1-for-3 in the nightcap with an RBI and a run scored after his great effort at the plate in game one.
Boccio led West Chester in the nightcap, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored, while Gozdan was 2-for-2 at the dish with an RBI of his own.
Kearns worked the first three innings and despite a host of deep counts, two hits, and three walks, allowed just one unearned run while striking out a pair as he continually tight-roped out of danger.
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) earned the win in relief, allowing just two hits and a walk in four scoreless innings, while striking out three for his fifth victory of the spring.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday at Bloomsburg beginning at 1 p.m.
