Baseball defends PSAC East title
Steven Fisher
Issue date: 4/26/10 Section: Sports
The West Chester University baseball team took three of four from Shippensburg over the weekend to clinch the regular-season PSAC Eastern Division title for the second straight year.
The Golden Rams surged past University of the Sciences (Phila.), 8-2 to claim the 10th annual Bill Giles championship at Citizen's Bank Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Golden Rams won its seventh Bill Giles title, including the last three consecutively.
WCU are now 5-0 at Citizen's Bank Park since it opened in 2004. For the second time in the last three years, USP (4-33) dropped the Bill Giles championship game to WCU.
WCU got on the board first in the third inning when senior shortstop Nick Spisak reached on an error by USP's first basemen. With two outs in the inning, Kevin McGrath took off on contact and was able to score from first base.
Joe Wendle and Kyle Orensky teamed up with back-to-back doubles as West Chester took a 3-0 lead on three unearned runs.
The Golden Rams took a 5-0 lead when McGrath hit a two-run homerun that cleared the 387-foot sign in left-center in the fifth inning. Brandon Wolfe came through with an RBI single that scored Charlie Kelly in the sixth inning.
Kelly smashed a solo homerun off the facade of the upper deck in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 7-0. Following Kelly's long-ball, Wolfe doubled into the right field corner and would later score on a double from McGrath.
Kelly and McGrath each finished 2-for-4, with a pair of runs scored. McGrath lead the team in the Bill Giles championship game with three RBI. "It was a thrill," said McGrath, in regards to hitting a homerun at Citizens Bank Park. "I along with the rest of the team feel fortunate to get a chance to play at the home of the Phillies."
Head coach Mark Jackson sent seven different WCU pitchers to the mound. Together they allowed just six hits over the nine innings. Dave Stieg picked up his fourth win in Tuesday's Bill Giles championship victory. Stieg threw two shut-out innings. John Hopkins came on and pitched two scoreless innings. Opalka followed Hopkins and also tossed a scoreless inning.
The Golden Rams surged past University of the Sciences (Phila.), 8-2 to claim the 10th annual Bill Giles championship at Citizen's Bank Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Golden Rams won its seventh Bill Giles title, including the last three consecutively.
WCU are now 5-0 at Citizen's Bank Park since it opened in 2004. For the second time in the last three years, USP (4-33) dropped the Bill Giles championship game to WCU.
WCU got on the board first in the third inning when senior shortstop Nick Spisak reached on an error by USP's first basemen. With two outs in the inning, Kevin McGrath took off on contact and was able to score from first base.
Joe Wendle and Kyle Orensky teamed up with back-to-back doubles as West Chester took a 3-0 lead on three unearned runs.
The Golden Rams took a 5-0 lead when McGrath hit a two-run homerun that cleared the 387-foot sign in left-center in the fifth inning. Brandon Wolfe came through with an RBI single that scored Charlie Kelly in the sixth inning.
Kelly smashed a solo homerun off the facade of the upper deck in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 7-0. Following Kelly's long-ball, Wolfe doubled into the right field corner and would later score on a double from McGrath.
Kelly and McGrath each finished 2-for-4, with a pair of runs scored. McGrath lead the team in the Bill Giles championship game with three RBI. "It was a thrill," said McGrath, in regards to hitting a homerun at Citizens Bank Park. "I along with the rest of the team feel fortunate to get a chance to play at the home of the Phillies."
Head coach Mark Jackson sent seven different WCU pitchers to the mound. Together they allowed just six hits over the nine innings. Dave Stieg picked up his fourth win in Tuesday's Bill Giles championship victory. Stieg threw two shut-out innings. John Hopkins came on and pitched two scoreless innings. Opalka followed Hopkins and also tossed a scoreless inning.
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