WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) blasted three home runs in a 3-for-6 day at the plate with five RBI and
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) broke the career strikeout record as the No. 12/20/22 West Chester University baseball team (14-3, 1-1) split its PSAC East opening doubleheader with Mansfield (10-11,1-1) on Friday afternoon. Costa set a new program record in game one of the doubleheader, but suffered his first loss of the season as West Chester fell to Mansfield by a 4-1 final before the Golden Rams roared back in the nightcap for a 12-7 victory and doubleheader split with the Mountaineers.
Game One: Mansfield 4 WCU 1
WP: Garrett Emerick (2-2)
LP: Costa (4-1)
S: Matt Rader (5)
Mansfield capitalized on a throwing error in the second to take a 2-0 lead as an errant throw by Costa on a sac bunt attempt escaped down the right field line. The Mounties kept the line moving with an RBI single, which stretched the lead to 3-0 before adding another RBI single in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Costa made history as he struck out the first two batters of the inning and, in doing so, became the new WCU career strikeout king as he eclipsed Frank Gailey's 242 career K's, which he accomplished from 2004-07.
In the home half of the sixth, West Chester avoided being shutout for just the second time this season with a solo home run by Stalker
, which cut the deficit to 4-1.
Hunter Smith (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) followed this up with a single, which chased Garrett Emerick, who had been brilliant through his first 5.2 innings of work.
Matt Rader entered in relief and escaped the inning before delivering a scoreless seventh to help the Mounties to the 4-1 victory.
Costa (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season after allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits, while walking one and striking out five in 6.2 innings of work.
Nick Cugino (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) entered in relief and needed just one pitch to escape a jam in the top of the seventh.
Emerick was sharp for Mansfield on Friday, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out a pair and keeping the Golden Rams off balance throughout his 5.2 innings of work. Rader did not allow a hit in his 1.1 innings of relief, striking out one to pick up his fifth save of the year.
Game Two WCU 12 Mansfield 7
WP: Nick Cugino (1-0)
LP: Tyler Swineford (2-2)
Mansfield took advantage of a leadoff walk in the top of the first to score the first run of the game and take an early 1-0 lead over the Golden Rams.
West Chester answered quickly with five runs in the home half of the first courtesy of an RBI double by
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) and a pair of two-run home runs by Stalker and
Chase Jones (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) to carry a 5-1 lead into the second.
Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./Delaware Military Academy) doubled home a run in the second before West Chester scored six more in the third via a two-RBI double by
Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and a pair of two-run home runs by
Christian Michak (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) and Stalker.
Mansfield got a pair of runs back with a one-out double in the fourth, which closed the book on
Luke Raho (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) in favor of
Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West). Taney got one out before exiting for Cugino (1-0), who escaped the inning with a strikeout to end the inning with West Chester holding a 12-5 lead.
Mansfield added another run in the sixth via a double down the left field line, cutting the deficit to 12-6 heading into the home half of the sixth. After a scoreless bottom of the sixth, Mansfield got one more run back in the seventh with a solo home run to left for the fifth home run of the game between the two sides.
A five-run deficit was as close as the Golden Rams allowed their visitors to get as
Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove), who entered in relief in the top of the sixth, got his last two outs via a grounder to short and a lazy fly ball to center to finish off the 12-7 game two victory.
Cugino needed just five pitches to secure his first win of the season as he finished the fifth inning with a strikeout in relief of Raho and Taney. Raho got the start and worked the first 4.1, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five before being lifted for Taney with one out in the fifth. Taney got the second out of the inning but was also charged with an unearned run and a walk, along with two wild pitches, which led to him giving way to Cugino to escape the inning. Noga finished the game on the mound, pitching the final two innings, allowing two runs on three hits to finish off the split.
Tyler Swineford suffered the loss for Mansfield, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits and two walks, while striking out one in 2.1 innings of work. Luke Liptak entered in relief and allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in 1.2 innings before Ryan Sink and Taylor Blevins both worked scoreless innings to finish out the loss.
Michak and Simpson both turned in three-hit days in the nightcap, going 3-for-5 and 3-for-3, respectively. Stalker was the storyline throughout the day for West Chester as the senior first baseman homered in the first game and twice in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 at the plate with four RBI and a pair of runs scored in a dominant game-two win for West Chester.
Slade Mictigue was 3-for-4 at the plate for Mansfield with a run and an RBI, while Billy Riggs was 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Up Next
West Chester will finish its series against Mansfield at Lycoming College in Williamsport tomorrow afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m.
