HANOVER, Md.-Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) etched his name into Golden Ram history on Saturday night with his second career no-hitter as the 23
rd-ranked West Chester University baseball team (7-1) swept a doubleheader from Frostburg State (7-4) by 5-0 and 6-0 finals to open a four-game weekend series with the Bobcats.
Game One: WCU 5 Frostburg State 0
WP: Julian Costa (3-0)
LP: Zach Dodson (2-1)
Costa picked up his second career no-hitter and his second in as many seasons after notching his first career no-no last year in Cary, North Carolina, during the first month of the season as well. The veteran lefty flirted with perfection through five innings before allowing his first baserunner of the night via a leadoff walk to open the home half of the sixth. With his seven-inning, eight-strikeout effort on Saturday night, Costa became the first Golden Ram pitcher to throw two career no-hitters, as he became the second Golden Ram since 1947 to do so last February, when he joined Nicholas Frank in the illustrious club.
West Chester got out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI triple by
Christian Michak (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West), which staked West Chester to the early lead. This run was all Costa and the Golden Rams would need, but West Chester added another in the fifth via a passed ball and three more in the seventh.
In the seventh, West Chester scored its final three runs of the game with two outs as
Tanner Donati (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) singled home
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) before scoring on an RBI double by Michak before scoring on a throwing error after successfully stealing third to give the Golden Rams a 5-0 lead.
Zach Dodson (2-1) suffered the loss for Frostburg State, allowing two runs (one earned), while allowing four hits and six walks, while striking out four as one of three Bobcat pitchers to take the mound in the loss.
Game Two: WCU 6 Frostburg State 0
WP: Luke Raho (1-0)
LP: Smith (1-1)
After being held without a hit through the first two innings, West Chester picked up its first hit of the nightcap in the third inning with a
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) two-out single to center. Frostburg State escaped the frame with its second successful pick-off of the inning after
Carter Rust (Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota West) was caught leaning after reaching via a hit-by-pitch.
Scoreless into the fifth inning, Michak led off the inning by reaching on an error and advanced to third on a single to right by
Chase Jones (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) as West Chester had runners on the corners with no outs. The Golden Rams loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch before Rust gave West Chester its first lead of the game with a one-out RBI single to right. Strawhecker worked a walk, which scored another run before
Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./DMA) worked a walk and Stalker was hit by a pitch to give the Golden Rams a 4-0 lead and close the book on John Smith in favor of Kamden Sowers.
Entering play on Saturday night, Smith had a 1.04 ERA, allowing just two runs on 10 hits and five walks in 17.1 innings of work, before allowing five runs on three hits and four walks in 4.1 innings on Saturday.
West Chester stretched its lead to five with a Sowers wild pitch before the Bobcats escaped the inning with a strikeout and a ground out to trail by five heading into the home fifth.
West Chester pushed across another run in the seventh thanks to an RBI single by Jones, which plated Stalker, who had worked a one-out walk earlier in the inning. Similar to the effort from Costa in game one, one run would have been enough for
Luke Raho (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) on Saturday night as he went the distance, allowing just two hits, while striking out seven, including the final batter of the game, to help West Chester sweep the doubleheader from Frostburg State with two shutouts.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action tomorrow for its second doubleheader of the weekend against Frostburg State, beginning at approximately 4 p.m. at Joe Canon Stadium.
