BLOOMSBURG, Pa.- After falling victim to a late-game comeback in game one, the No. 20/22 West Chester University baseball team (31-10, 13-7) responded in a big way in the nightcap, defeating Bloomsburg (12-24, 5-15) 7-1 in game two after dropping game one 13-8 to earn a 3-1 series victory over the Huskies.
Game One: Bloomsburg 13 WCU 8
WP: Riley Powers (4-2)
LP: Ben Jones (3-1)
Bloomsburg jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after scoring five runs in the third inning on five hits, along with a bases-loaded walk and a sac fly to center to hold an early advantage over the visiting Golden Rams.
West Chester mounted its comeback in the fifth, scoring eight runs on seven hits, including RBI singles by
Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West) and Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood), a towering three-run home run by
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) for his third home run of the week, along with a two-RBI double by
Ben Bolhouse (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett). Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) also scored on a wild pitch as he scampered home to tie the game at 5-5 during the big inning.
Bloomsburg cut into the West Chester lead with a two-RBI triple in the home half of the fifth to make the score 8-7 heading into the sixth.
Suddenly leading by just one,
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) laced a double into the left center gap, giving West Chester runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth.
Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) worked a walk to load the bases. Perhaps the worst scenario the Golden Rams could have imagined occurred from this situation as the Huskies escaped the jam and countered with six runs in the home half of the sixth to take a 13-8 lead into the seventh. This six-run outburst included a pair of RBI doubles, a solo home run, an RBI single, and a sac fly.
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) got the start and allowed five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three in 2.2 innings of work.
Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) allowed two runs on one hit, while striking out three in 1.2 innings of work before
Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) entered in relief in the fifth. Jones suffered the loss for West Chester, allowing six runs on six hits while striking out three in his inning and a third.
Evan Wineburg (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) yielded a hit but helped West Chester escape the inning trailing by five.
In the seventh, West Chester worked a pair of walks to open the inning, but Bloomsburg worked around the early runners to escape with a 13-8 victory.
Daniel Koppisch got the start for Bloomsburg and pitched the first 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits while walking five and striking out six.
Riley Powers got the win in relief, entering in the fifth inning and pitching into the seventh, allowing just one run on three hits as he worked into the seventh and was one of three pitchers the Huskies used to get through the seventh.
Game Two: WCU 7 Bloomsburg 1
WP: Ryan DeHaven (3-0)
LP: Brandon Wozniak (2-2)
West Chester bounced back from its disappointment in game one with a five-run third inning thanks to a two-RBI single by Stalker and a two-RBI triple by Vaughan, along with a deep sac fly off the bat of
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove).
Boccio stretched the lead to 6-0 in the fourth with an RBI single through the left side before Millersville scored its first and only run of the nightcap with a solo home run to left in the bottom of the fourth.
Szestowicki stretched the lead back to six in the sixth when he doubled into the left-center gap to extend the lead back to 7-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Ryan DeHaven (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) (3-0) was outstanding on Saturday afternoon, pitching a complete-game gem, which saw him scatter three hits and one run while walking three and striking out seven for his third win of the campaign.
Brandon Wozniak (2-2) suffered the loss in the nightcap, allowing seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits and two walks while striking out two in the setback.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Friday afternoon in a massive doubleheader against Millersville beginning at 1 p.m.
