WEST CHESTER, Pa. - - The seventh-ranked West Chester baseball team was too much for the Wilmington University baseball team, scoring in five different innings in the 9-1 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Serpico Stadium.
The Golden Rams (10-3) hit five extra-base hits in the game, including a leadoff triple to start the bottom of the first. West Chester Starter Ryan DeHaven pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out five. The Wildcats left eight runners on base in the game.
The leadoff triple scored on an RBI groundout in the first while an RBI double made it 2-0 in the second. A double steal made it 3-0 in the third and then a two-out, two-run single in the fifth made it 5-0. A four-run seventh put the game away from the Golden Rams.
The Wildcats (6-6) got two hits in the second, but the lefty starter of the Golden Rams shut down the rally with a pick-off. Another pick-off in the third erased a one-out base runner and then Tristan Schoendienst was left at second in the fourth after a single and wild pitch.
The Wildcats left single runners on in the fifth and sixth and then a double play erased a threat in the seventh. AJ Tropiano finally put the Wildcats on the board in the top of the eighth inning, hitting a two-out RBI single to plate Nick Classie.
The Wildcats loaded the board in the top of the ninth, but the Golden Rams escaped the jam unscathed to close out the 9-1 victory.
Josearmando Diaz went 2-for-3 with a walk while Kory Pritchard, AJ Tropiano, Tristan Schoendienst, and Chase Fleming all had hits.
The Wildcats make their home debut with their next contest, hosting Indiana (Pa.) for a three-game set starting on Friday. The game at Wilson Field is set for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch.
