MILLERSVILLE, Pa.- Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) turned in a complete game effort in game one to help lead the 19
th ranked West Chester University baseball team (32-13, 14-10) to a split with No. 10 Millersville (34-7, 20-4) on Saturday evening. West Chester captured game one by a 4-3 final in eight innings before dropping the nightcap 10-6.
Game One: #19 WCU 4 #10 Millersville 3 (8 Innings)
WP: Kyle Lazer (7-2)
LP: Alex Kuehn (5-1)
West Chester took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI single to center by
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North), which was enough to score
Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) and give the Golden Rams a first-inning lead.
Millersville answered back with a sac fly in the home half of the first that tied the game at 1-1, which is how things stayed until the fourth inning.
In the fourth,
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) doubled home
Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) and scored on an infield single off the bat of
Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) to give West Chester a 3-1 lead.
Trailing late, Millersville tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth with a two-RBI single to left, which, after a scoreless seventh inning from both teams, forced extra innings.
In extra innings, West Chester played the role of the cardiac kids as Boccio laced a one-out double to left center to disappoint a Millersville crowd, which had been in a celebratory mood throughout the afternoon with Senior and Alumni Day ceremonies.
Lazer finished off his complete game in the eighth, working around a pair of early base runners with a big strikeout and a 5-3 double play to seal the 4-3 victory. Lazer improved to 7-2 in the win, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six.
Kuehn was saddled with the loss for Millersville, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out four as he suffered his first setback of the season.
Game Two: Ville 10 WCU 6
WP: Garet Blankenbiller (7-1)
LP: Ryan DeHaven (3-1)
S: Evan Rishell (5)
Millersville jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning before West Chester got two runs back in the second with a fielder's choice off the bat of
Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and a fielding error from
Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West) to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Millersville countered with five runs of its own in the home half of the second to take a commanding 9-2 lead.
West Chester got two runs back in the fifth via a solo shot from Welsch and an RBI single by Vaughan before a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth gave the Marauders a 10-4 lead heading into the sixth.
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J/Kingsway) cut the deficit to four in the sixth with a two-run single that scored Welsch and Gozdan, but this was as close as West Chester came to overcoming its early seven-run deficit in a 10-6 loss in the nightcap.
Ryan DeHaven (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) (3-1) suffered the loss for West Chester, allowing seven runs on seven hits in the first inning as one of six Golden Ram pitchers used in the loss.
Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J/Cherry Hill West) had arguably the best outing of any Golden Ram pitcher in the loss, pitching two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two.
Garet Blankenbiller (7-1) earned the win in the series finale, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out three in his seventh win of the year.
Evan Rishell picked up the save, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings with one walk and three strikeouts for his fifth save of the campaign.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Thursday at Mansfield in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
