WEST CHESTER, Pa.- After scoring 18 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Gannon (5-10) on Saturday, the No. 19/27 West Chester University baseball team (13-2) did it differently on Sunday, capturing a pair of low-scoring affairs by 3-2 and 4-1 finals for the series sweep of the Golden Knights. West Chester won game one on a walk-off single by
Hunter Smith (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) after trailing 2-0 heading into the home half of the sixth before its near wire-to-wire victory in the nightcap.
Game One: WCU 3 Gannon 2
WP: Kyle Rogers (2-1)
LP: Wheelock (0-1)
After four scoreless innings to open the game, Gannon took a two-run lead in the fifth, which held up until the sixth inning.
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) cut the deficit to 2-1 with a double to left center before West Chester loaded the bases and walked in the tying run as
Harry Middlebrooks () worked an important walk to tie the game at 2-2.
Landen Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) nearly gave West Chester its first lead of the day with a long fly ball to center, but the Golden Knight centerfielder tracked it down to keep the game tied at 2-2.
In the home half of the seventh, West Chester got runners on the corners with one out after back-to-back one-out singles by
Christian Michak (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) and
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) before Strawhecker swiped second. Gannon got an important second out by way of a strikeout, but intentionally walked Stalker, which gave
Hunter Smith (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) the chance to be the hero. Smith lined a 1-1 pitch through the 5-6 hole into left, which was more than enough tos core the speedy Michak and lift West Chester to the 3-2 comeback victory.
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) got the start and pitched the first 4.2, allowing two runs on five hits (four in the fifth inning), while walking one and striking out seven.
Nick Cugino (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) needed just one pitch to finish the fifth inning and gave way to
Kyle Rogers (Clifton, N.J./Clifton), who finished the game on the game on the mound for his second win of the season. Rogers (2-1) allowed just one hit and walked another while striking out a pair in two scoreless innings in relief.
Ashton Wheelock suffered the loss for Gannon after entering in the seventh. Wheelock got just two outs, while allowing three hits and a walk, as Nolan Smith was stuck with a no-decision after a brilliant effort on the mound for much of the afternoon. Smith worked 5.2 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out three and keeping the Golden Ram offense off-balance for much of the afternoon.
Game Two: WCU 4 Gannon 1
WP: Kyle Kearns (1-0)
LP: Hunter Steinke (0-1)
S: Ben Jones (2)
After his late-inning heroics to help West Chester to its win in game one on Sunday afternoon, Smith gave West Chester an early 1-0 lead in the home half of the first inning in game two with an RBI single through the right side.
This lead held up until the top of the fifth when Cainen Ather launched a home run to left center, tying the game at 1-1.
West Chester did not allow the game to remain tied for long as Strawhecker doubled home Rozich with two outs in the fifth after the freshman had reached on a hit-by-pitch to start the inning.
Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./DMA) doubled the lead with a no-doubter two-run home run to left field, which plated Strawhecker and gave West Chester a commanding 4-1 lead heading into the sixth.
Gannon had a runner on via a single in both the sixth and seventh, but it was not enough for the Golden Knights to mount any sort of comeback as West Chester pulled away for a 4-1 home victory and its first four-game series sweep of the young season.
Kyle Kearns (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) got the start and earned his first win of the season, allowing one run on two hits and a walk in five innings of work, while striking out four. Rozich and
Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) both gave West Chester scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, picking up three and two strikeouts on just 15 and 17 pitches, respectively. Jones worked around his one base runner in the seventh for his second of the season.
Hunter Steinke fell to 0-1 on the season for Gannon, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out one in five innings of work. Brady Berdine worked a scoreless sixth inning with one strikeout to finish off the game.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday at Wilmington, beginning at 3 p.m., before opening PSAC East play against Mansfield at home next Friday, beginning at 1 p.m.
