MANSFIELD, Pa.- The 22
nd-ranked West Chester University baseball team (34-13, 16-10) held off an upset-minded Mansfield (13-30, 7-19) squad to open the final conference series of the year with a pair of wins on Thursday afternoon. West Chester took game one by a 13-9 final before winning the nightcap 6-4.
Game One: WCU 13 Mansfield 9
WP: Jesse Specter (2-0)
LP: Austin Lewis (3-4)
West Chester opened the series with a 13-9 win, scoring its 13 runs on 12 hits, four walks, and six Mountaineer errors.
Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West), Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) and
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) all picked up three hit todays in the victory as Stalker led the charge with six RBI, including a three-run home run in the first inning, which opened the scoring.
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) got the start for West Chester and worked the first 4.1, running into trouble in the fifth as he finished with a final line of five runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three.
Jesse Specter (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) earned the win in relief, pitching 1.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out one for his second win of the season.
Austin Beauchamp got the start and a no-decision for Mansfield, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out six. Austin Lewis was saddled with the loss after allowing three unearned runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.
West Chester jumped out to an early lead thanks to Stalker's home run and an RBI sac fly from Welsch to hold a 4-0 lead after an inning and a half.
In the second inning, Mansfield got a run back with a solo home run, but Szestowicki restored the lead quickly with an RBI single, which stretched the lead back to 5-1.
Mansfield used an RBI single, a three-run home run, and an RBI double in the fifth to score five runs and take a 6-5 lead over the 22
nd-ranked Golden Rams.
In the sixth,
Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) tied the game at 6-6 with a solo home run before West Chester took advantage of Mansfield defensive miscues to grab a 9-6 lead.
The Golden Rams got an RBI single from Welsch and a bases-clearing RBI double by Stalker in the seventh, which stretched the lead to 13-6.
Down to its final outs, Mansfield walked a run in and scored two more runs via an RBI single to left before
Evan Wineburg (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) got the final out to seal a 13-9 victory.
Game Two: WCU 6 Mansfield 4
WP: Ben Jones (4-1)
LP: Luke Raho (2-4)
In the nightcap, Gozdan and
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) used a pair of RBI singles to give West Chester an early 2-0 lead before Mansfield homered in the home half to cut the lead to 2-1.
Stalker and Strawhecker continued their big days with solo home runs in the third, which stretched the lead to 4-1 before Mansfield scored two in the fourth and another in the fifth to tie the game at 4-4.
Strawhecker continued his huge game in the sixth as he battled back from an 0-2 count to run the count full and drove the payoff pitch over the wall for his second home run of the day, a two-run shot this time, which gave West Chester a 6-4 lead late.
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) got the start and allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out four.
Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) entered in relief and pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit to earn his fourth win of the season.
Luke Raho took the loss for Mansfield, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out three.
Up Next
West Chester will go for the series win and sweep tomorrow in its regular-season home finale against Mansfield, beginning at 1 p.m. Tomorrow will be both Alumni Day and Senior Day for the Golden Rams as head coach
Mike LaRosa and the Golden Rams will recognize their senior class following the doubleheader.
