No. 13 West Chester Clinches PSAC East in Sweep of Lock Haven
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – No. 13 West Chester swept visiting Lock Haven on this rainy afternoon and in the process secured its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division title for the first time since 2012. The Golden Rams (33-9, 22-6 PSAC) topped Lock Haven (31-16, 16-12 PSAC) in the regular-season finale by final scores of 11-2 and 8-3. West Chester's pair of victories today puts them at 22-6 in conference play this season. It is the best conference mark since 2009, when the squad went 21-3. The conference title also was head coach Jad Prachniak's second during his time at the helm for the Golden Rams. In the opener, West Chester compiled 11 runs as the squad scored in every inning. Most of the damage came in the first two innings as the Golden Rams capitalized on Lock Haven errors that resulted in five unearned runs. So., 1B Jared Melone (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) led the way at the plate by going three-for-four with an RBI and run scored. Melone posted two of the four extra-base hits, contributing a triple and a double. West Chester's Nick Ward (Unionville, Pa./Unionville) registered a two-run triple in the third to give the Golden Rams a 8-0 advantage which would be enough run support for right-hander Mike Cipolla (Newark, De / Charter School of Wilmington). Cipolla continued his dominance on the mound, going the distance once again while surrendering two earned runs. The junior improved to 6-2 on the season and ended the regular-season with a team-best 1.68 ERA. In the nightcap, West Chester jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. Jr., Shane Dressler (York Haven, Pa./Red Lion) crushed a pitch to right center that provided a pair of early runs in the first. Afterwards, teammate Joe Sheeran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) singled through the left side to score two more. Sr., OF Robert Knox (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) added a RBI single to left to push it to 5-0 in the fourth. Knox continues to swing the bat well, collecting three hits in game two. On the hill for the Golden Rams was senior right-hander Andrew Gernert (Lehartsville, Pa./Kutztown). He went five strong innings, allowing only one earned run and earned the win. Lock Haven would however find success once Gernert exited the game. They clawed their way back, making it 5-3 after two unearned runs crossed the plate off of Josh McClain (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock). Sheeran responded by blasting a homerun to left field in the bottom of the sixth to provide insurance runs as well as his fourth RBI of the game. Between the two games, the Golden Rams accumulated 19 runs off of 24 hits. Overall, the squad went 15-1 at home this season inside Serpico Stadium. The lone loss was to Shippensburg in the beginning of April. After clinching the number one seed in the eastern division, West Chester will now turn its attention to the PSAC Tournament. The conference tournament will get underway on Wednesday in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
