BLOOMSBURG, Pa.- The No. 17/25 West Chester Baseball team (34-8, 18-6) swept its second PSAC East doubleheader in as many weeks with a pair of 18-7 and 6-2 victories over Bloomsburg (24-18, 11-13) on Friday afternoon in Bloomsburg.
Game One WCU 18 Bloomsburg 7
WP: Kyle Lazer (5-1)
LP: Aiden Murphy (7-1)
West Chester scored its first run of the game in the second inning when
Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) continued his big weekend with a solo home run before the Golden Rams added five in the third, including a bases-clearing three RBI triple by
Hunter Smith (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) and an RBI single by Gozdan to take a 6-0 lead into the fourth.
West Chester added four runs to its lead in the fourth, including a three-RBI single by
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) and a bases-loaded walk of
Christian Michak (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) to take a commanding 10-0 lead.
Landen Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) added to the lead with a two-run home run in the fifth before
Carter Rust (Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota West) hit a three-run shot of his own in the sixth to give West Chester a 16-1 lead. A hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch allowed West Chester to tack on two more runs in the sixth, carrying an 18-1 lead into the home half of the sixth.
After scoring its first run of the game in the fifth via a sac fly, Bloomsburg scored three runs with two outs in the sixth, cutting the Golden Rams' lead to 18-4 heading into the seventh.
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) (5-1) earned his fifth win of the season, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk, while striking out a pair.
Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) entered in relief and pitched the sixth inning, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks, while striking out a pair.
Trey Stricker (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) and
Nick Parrotto (Mars, Pa./Seneca Valley) combined to work the seventh inning as Stricker got the first two outs but allowed three runs on three hits and a pair of walks before Parrotto got the final out.
Aiden Murphy was saddled with the loss for Bloomsburg, allowing six runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out five in three innings of work as one of six Bloomsburg pitchers used in the loss.
Rust was 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI, while Stalker was 1-for-3 with four RBI and a pair of runs.
Game Two WCU 6 Bloomsburg 2
WP: Kyle Rogers (4-2)
LP: Xander Velez (3-5)
Bloomsburg loaded the bases in the first inning, but West Chester countered by loading the bases in the second inning and scored a pair with a two-RBI single by
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) before the Huskies answered with a two-out home run in the home half of the second to tie the game at 2-2.
Stalker broke the tie in the fourth with a two-out home run to right center, which gave the Golden Rams a 4-2 lead heading into the home half of the fourth.
Kyle Kearns (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) got the start in the nightcap and allowed a run on three walks in the first inning before exiting for
Kyle Rogers (Clifton, N.J./Clifton), who pitched the next six innings, allowing just one run on two hits and a walk, while striking out four as West Chester carried a 4-2 lead into the seventh.
Xander Velez got the start for Bloomsburg and allowed four runs on eight hits, while walking two and striking out four. Pete Modrovsky worked two innings in relief, allowing just two hits and a walk, while striking out one. Brian Walsh entered in relief and got the first out of the inning via strikeout before allowing a pair of runs on an RBI groundout by
Chase Jones (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) and a Rust double as the Golden Rams carried a 6-2 lead into the home half of the seventh.
Rogers finished off a strong six-inning effort with a 1-2-3 seventh, including a strikeout in his fourth victory of the season.
Strawhecker drove in a pair in a 2-for-4 effort in the victory, as did Stalker, who was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run, while
Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./DMA) was 2-for-3 with a run scored, and
Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Thursday and Friday against Millersville with doubleheaders beginning at 1 p.m.
