It’s that time again! Our Golden Rams have finally taken the mound for the first time in almost a year since the first pandemic lockdown, and did they come out swinging! West Chester journeyed to Mansfield University to face off in two doubleheaders this past Friday and Saturday as Spring Break approached.
Out in Flemington, NJ, newly-hired Head Coach Mike LaRosa and his team looked to make a statement, and they sure did just that. Our Golden Rams baseball team came out with three wins and one loss out of the four games they played this past weekend, racking up three blowout wins and one very close loss. In total, the run differential between both Mansfield and West Chester was high in difference, with West Chester scoring a total of 48 runs, compared to Mansfield’s 14.
On Friday’s doubleheader, returning second baseman Nick D’Amore came back to the plate like he never left because of the lockdown, scoring a total of four runs over the course of the day and scoring four again in the Saturday doubleheader. Star players like D’Amore, outfielder Drew Jarmuz, shortstop Justin Horn and many others made their returns after last year’s cancellation in a big way. Pitchers like Nick Cataldi and Culver Hughes played spectacularly, easily shaking off the rust that was not being able to play for over a year.
Others like centerfielder Brian Verrati and first baseman Mike Ferrara also got in on the action on Saturday, with Verrati scoring one run and Ferrara scoring three to seal the deal. Our Golden Rams played great this past weekend, easily shaking off the rust of the lockdown, and adapting well to the new system that Coach LaRosa had put in place for the players and the protocols surrounding the pandemic.
On Friday, the first doubleheader began with a tough loss, with a final score of 3–4, followed by an absolute blowout by West Chester later that day with a solid win and a final score of 11–4. For Saturday, West Chester completely dominated, with the first game of the second doubleheader seeing a final score of 21–5, with the Golden Rams later in the day taking the last game as well, with a final score of 16–1. Overall, this was a great opening weekend start for our Golden Rams, considering all the circumstances surrounding not only the team, but the protocols around the pandemic as well.
Coach LaRosa got his system into place quickly, and it certainly showed itself to be true. Not only that, but the players who lost last season and were hungry for another shot came out swinging, seeing several returning graduate students get their last cracks at the plate for their Alma Mater.
After their road home from Mansfield University, West Chester will come home for their debut with a Friday doubleheader against Bloomsberg on March 26, before quickly going on the road next Saturday again to face Bloomsberg in a second doubleheader on March 27.
Jeff Babcock is a fourth-year student majoring in communications and minoring in journalism. JB884128@wcupa.edu