SHIPPENSBURG, Pa.- After opening the series against Shippensburg (19-12, 6-6) with a split on Friday, the 10
th-ranked West Chester University baseball team (25-7, 8-4) played to a split with the Raiders once again on Saturday, capturing game one by a 7-4 final before dropping the series finale 8-5.
Game One: #10 WCU 7 SHIP 4
WP: Nick Noga (3-2)
LP: JT Weaver (5-1)
S: Ben Jones (1)
Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) gave West Chester a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single to right before Shippensburg tied the game at 1-1 in the second.
In the third, West Chester got RBI doubles from
Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) and
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North), along with an RBI triple from Boccio, to take a 4-1 lead.
Shippensburg got a run back in the fourth with a sacrifice fly to center, which cut the Golden Rams' lead in half. The Golden Rams then scored three more in the sixth, thanks to a two-run home run by
Darius Troche (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and another RBI single by Boccio.
This three-run sixth proved important at Shippensburg, as the Raiders got two runs back in the top of the seventh via a fielder's choice and a bases-loaded walk, but this was as close as they could come in the setback.
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) (3-2) got the start and the win, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six in four innings of work.
Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) pitched into the seventh inning and allowed two runs on three walks, striking out three.
Gannon Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) and
Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) combined for the final three outs to escape the seventh inning as Jones earned the save.
JT Weaver took the loss for Shippensburg, allowing six runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out four in five innings of work.
Game Two: SHIP 8 #10 WCU 5
WP: Jack Robinson (2-1)
LP: Kyle Kearns (2-2)
West Chester jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first when Boccio tripled home a run before scoring an RBI single by
Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove).
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) extended the lead to 3-0 in the second inning when he lifted a 2-2 pitch into left for a sac fly, which scored
Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West).
Shippensburg got a run back in the third with a bases-loaded sac fly before loading the bases once again in the fourth and scoring three in that inning to take a 4-3 lead.
The Raiders pushed across another run in the top of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead over the Golden Rams.
Spencer reached out to start the bottom of the fifth and made his way to second on a ground out by
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) but Shippensburg worked out of danger to keep a two-run lead intact before stretching its lead to five with a three-run home run in the top of the sixth.
West Chester got a run back in the sixth with a solo home run by
John Dunion (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) before Spencer cut the lead to three with a sac fly in the bottom of the seventh. Spencer's sac fly was the first out of the home half of the seventh, but despite loading the bases with two outs, West Chester was unable to push across any additional runs, falling by an 8-5 final on Saturday evening.
Kyle Kearns (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) (2-2) got the start and pitched the first 4.2, allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out five.
Jesse Specter (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) entered in relief in the fifth and got the last out of the inning before allowing three runs in the sixth. Jones entered in relief and worked a scoreless seventh in the setback.
Jack Robinson (2-1) earned the win in relief for Shippensburg, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three in 3.2 innings of work.
Up Next
West Chester will return to action on Tuesday against Wilmington in the Bill Giles Classic at Citizens Bank Park, starting at 1 p.m.
