No. 18 West Chester Erupts for 22 Runs as they Sweep Millersville
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – No. 18 West Chester combined for 22 runs off of 27 hits in a pair of games to help sweep PSAC East rival Millersville this afternoon inside Serpico Stadium by final scores of 6-2 and 16-4. The Golden Rams (17-6, 9-3 PSAC) were trailing to begin game one as a suicide squeeze gave Millersville (19-11, 5-7 PSAC) an early 1-0 advantage in the third. However, West Chester returned the favor with a squeeze play of its on in the bottom half as Jared Melone (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) registered the RBI. From that point on, West Chester seized all momentum with Drew Jarmuz (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) providing the go-ahead run off a single to right center. The top three batters in the lineup for West Chester in Robert Knox (Hatboro, Pa. / Upper Moreland), Nick Ward (Unionville, Pa. / Unionville), and Melone combined to go 6-for-9 at the plate with three RBIs. The team as a whole tallied 11 hits for six runs in the game. Additionally, Anthony Salomone (Dillsburg, Pa. / Northern York) contributed 2 hits, including a two-run homerun to left field in the fourth. Jr., RHP Mike Cipolla (2-2) (Newark, De / Charter School of Wilmington) registered the win on the hill this afternoon, going 5.1 innings while surrendering four hits for a pair of earned runs. Skipper Jad Prachniak turned to senior Josh McClain (4-0) (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) to get the team the final five outs. The right-hander only gave up one hit and earned his second save in the process. The nightcap is where West Chester's offense came alive by scoring the most runs this season against a PSAC East opponent with 16 in addition to adding 16 hits. There were four members of the squad who finished with 3 RBIs. A seven run first inning did the damage against Millersville as Shane Dressler (York Haven, Pa./Red Land) roped a double to score Knox. He finished the game 3-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBIs. Afterwards, Jarmuz doubled down the left field line to score two more. The five hole hitter in Jarmuz went 2-for-3 with three runs as well as three RBIs. Senior Nick Bateman (Aston, Pa / Malvern) joined in with three hits of his own to help extend the lead. In the second inning, Clay Harwick (Lansdale, Pa./Methacton) blasted a homerun to right field that scored both Jarmuz and Dressler to make it a 10-1 ballgame. With plenty of run support, right-hander Andrew Gernert (3-0) (Lenhartsville, Pa. / Kutztown) cruised through five innings with two earned runs and tallied the victory. This was the first time since 2012 that Millersville has lost a series to a PSAC East opponent. West Chester will look to keep the momentum going as they head to Saint Thomas Aquinas College in Pomona, New York on Wednesday.
