Southpaw Frank Gailey struck out eight hitters Saturday afternoon to lead the West Chester University baseball team to a 5-0 victoryin the first game of a doubleheader against division rival Millersville University. The Golden Rams finished the sweep with an 8-3 win in the second game. In the opener, Gailey pitched a complete game shut out to improve his record to 4-0 on the season He allowed only two base runners to reach scoring position during the game. The Golden Rams were the beneficiaries of seven errors by the Marauders in game one. Three of those errors came in the third inning when the Golden Rams lit up Maraudersʼ starting pitcher Austin Hinkle for three runs. Joey Yeager knocked in a run to open the scoring, and Nate Guers contributed with an RBI groundout. A throwing error to second base allowed Mike LaRossa to score all the way from first base to make it a 3-0 game. The Golden Rams added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, giving Gailey a comfortable cushion to head into the later stages of the game. The Golden Rams tallied six hits en route to the win.
Despite problems in the sixth inning, which ncluded a plunked batter , Gailey battled every hitter he faced, keeping them guessing with a mix of fast and off-speed pitches. With runners on first and second base, Gailey struck out the Marauders ʼ four and five hole hitters to get out of the late-inning jam. For the game, Gailey issued no walks and surrendered just three hits. Yeager finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs. John Molyneux contributed with two singles, and Ryan Flynn also had a hit and two RBIs.
In the second half of the doubleheader, the Golden Rams jumped on Maraudersʼ starting pitcher Kevin Leddy for five runs in the first inning. Drew Pareʼs threerun home run finished the scoring spree in the first inning. For Pare, it was his third home run of the season. Kyle Frees threw six strong innings, leading the Golden Rams to victory. Frees matched Gaileyʼs high for strike outs with eight, and allowed two unearned runs. The win gives Frees a 4-2 record on the season. The Golden Rams belted nine hits in the contest. Dan Toner finished the game 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and four RBIs. Guers and Mark Giliford each had two hits. LaRossa added to his team-high in runs scored (25) with two, and also chipped in with one hit. The Golden Rams scored eight runs off Leddy, who worked for just three-plus innings. The Maraduersʼ scoring came in the second, fifth and seventh innings.
Saturdayʼs doubleheader victories mark a season-sweep against the Marauders, including four in a row. On April 6, the Golden Rams traveled to York defeating the Marauders 8-0 and 13-3 in a two-game set.
The Golden Rams improved their overall record to 18-7 on Saturday, and are currently in a heated race with Mansfield University for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division. Both teams are tied with a 7-1 record in the division after Saturday. On April 22 and 23, the teams face each other for two games in a home-and-home series.
The Golden Rams will travel next to Citizenʼs Bank Park to face Wilmington (DE) College on Tuesday night in the championship game of the Bill Giles Invitational.