SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- The PSAC East Regular Season Champion No. 14/16 West Chester University baseball team (38-9) returned to action on Thursday afternoon for the first game of the 2026 PSAC Tournament against a familiar foe in Shepherd (29-23). West Chester found itself down two runs early but never panicked and pulled away from the Rams for a 13-5 victory after an eight-run third inning broke the game open early.

Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) earned his 10^th victory of the year and became the NCAA DII active career wins leader with his 32^nd career victory with five strong innings of work, while Tanner Donati (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) was 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBI in a homecoming of sorts for the junior as he helped lead the Golden Ram offense throughout the afternoon.

"I felt like tonight was a pretty complete victory for us," acknowledged head coach Mike LaRosa. "Shepherd had a good approach against Costa early and got out to an early lead, but we responded really well and really opened the game up in the third and fourth, which alleviated a lot of pressure and helped us open the Tournament with a victory."

Shepherd scored the first runs of the game in the first inning as Ryan Fluharty drove a one-out double to center and later scored on an RBI single down the right field line from Nik Rubendall to take a 1-0 lead. Rubendall made his way to second via a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single into left by Alex Rose, who was thrown out on a strong throw from PSAC East First Team All-League selection Hunter Smith (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) as he tried to stretch a single into a double.

West Chester got a run back in the home first without needing to record a hit as Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove), who had walked earlier in the inning, scampered home on a double steal attempt, which cut the lead to 2-1.

Costa struck out the side in the second and worked around a one-out single in the third to keep the deficit right where it was at 2-1 heading into the home third.

Landen Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) started the home third with a double to left center and after a Carter Rust (Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota West) walk and a Strawhecker bunt single scored the Golden Rams second run of the game on a hit-by-pitch of Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./DMA) to tie the game at 2-2 and prompt a Shepherd pitching change.

Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) broke the tie with a two-RBI single before Smith doubled home another run and gave the Golden Rams a commanding 5-2 lead. Christian Michak (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) followed this with a bases-loaded walk, which extended the lead to 6-2. Donati plated two more with a two-RBI single before Rozich stretched the lead to 9-2 with a sac fly RBI to left as the Golden Rams carried a commanding 9-2 lead into the fourth.

In the fourth, Michak reached on a fielder's choice to stretch the lead to 10-2 before Donati doubled home two more to give West Chester a 12-2 lead in the fourth, prompting another pitching change for the Rams as Logan Bower entered in relief and escaped the fourth inning.

Shepherd got a run back in the fifth to cut the lead to 12-3 and take the contest out of 10-run mercy rule territory for at least the moment.

Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) entered in relief for the sixth and worked a scoreless inning before West Chester loaded the bases but failed to score in the home half to send the game to the seventh, locked at 12-3 in favor of the Golden Rams.

Kyle Rogers (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) worked a scoreless seventh inning in his PSAC Tournament debut and returned for the eighth and allowed a pair of runs as Shepherd cut the lead to 12-5.

Rogers finished with a final line of two runs on three hits, while striking out in two innings of work.

With West Chester holding a seven-run lead, West Chester benefitted from back-to-back errors by Shepherd to take a 13-5 lead into the ninth.
Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) delivered a scoreless ninth inning for West Chester to finish off the 13-5 victory to open the PSAC Tournament.

Costa improved to 10-2, allowing three runs on nine hits, while striking out five in five innings of work as he became the Division II baseball active career wins leader and moved into a tie for second in program history in single-season victories.

"Costa did what he does," said LaRosa when asked about the veteran's 10^th victory of the season. "He always puts us in a position to win, and that is a credit to who he is as a competitor. He never panics competes and gives us solid innings and a great chance to win every time he takes the mound."

Henry Ortiz (3-2) suffered the loss for Shepherd, allowing five runs on two hits and three walks in two innings of work before exiting for Tre Rex. Rex entered in relief and did not record an out, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks, before exiting for Jesse Specter, who allowed three runs on four hits, while walking and striking out one in 1.2 innings of work.

Up Next

West Chester will return to action on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. against the winner of Indiana (Pa.)/Shippensburg, which is the final game of the day on Thursday at Slippery Rock.