Baseball The West Chester University baseball team clinched a playoff berth in the 2005 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon after defeating Mansfield 4-0 in game two of its Eastern Division twin bill. Mansfield won the opener 3-2 in eight innings.
The Golden Rams improved their record to 28-10 overall, 13-3 in the PSAC East, with one game ahead of Mansfield for the regular- season title. The Golden Rams can capture the title Friday and Saturday with a four-game sweep over Bloomsburg, or they would have to rely on a combination of Golden Ram wins and Mansfield losses. During the second game, WCU scored three times in the bottom of the second with two outs to build a 3-0 lead. Kyle Frees picked up his fifth win, striking out five, walking two, and allowing only two hits.
Lacrosse
The West Chester University womenʼs lacrosse team captured its 24th straight PSAC victory Saturday afternoon, defeating Lock Haven 22-8 in Lock Haven.
The Golden Rams improved their record in the PSAC 12-0 for the second straight year, and improved their overall record to 14- 1. Katelynn Martin scored six times for WCU, while Kristin Mc- Goldrick had five goals and three assists. Caitlin Pettit had three goals and four assists. Neilly Oliver also scored three goals. In the beginning of the game, West Chester fell behind 2-0, but with an 8-2 win, they closed out the half with an 8-4 lead. A 14- 4 run came in the second half, to give the Golden Rams a 14-point victory.
The Golden Rams will meet East Stroudsburg Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. in West Chesser for a PSAC semifinal contest. Bloomsburg will also visit Lock Haven Tuesday afternoon for a semifinal game. The two semifinal winners will meet Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. for the PSAC Championship.
Womenʼs Rugby
The West Chester University womenʼs rugby team defeated St. Josephʼs University Saturday morning 31-7 in West Chester. The Golden Rams scored the first try of the game, but the Hawks came back with a try and a conversion to grab the lead 7-5.
In the second half, Jodi McDermott scored a try for 10-7 WCU lead. Nicole Puscian scored shortly thereafter, and with a conversion by Whitney Hartshorne, the WCU lead jumped to 17-7. Captain Jen Schwenk scored a try, and Hartshorne tallied her second conversion of the day to bring the Golden Rams to 24-7. Then Giselle Gonzalez scored a try, and Hartshorne had her third conversion of the contest. This pushed the West Chester lead to 24. Hartshorne lead the game and scored 11 points. She currently has 99 points on the season, and could go down as West Chesterʼs first 100-point scorer in varsity team history.
This victory improved the Golden Rams record to 11-5 overall, with only one game left on the schedule. The Golden Rams will host York College Saturday morning at 11 a.m.