Box Scores
L 5-4
L 9-4

WEST CHESTER - West Chester held off No. 13-ranked East Stroudsburg University for a 5-4 win in the opener, then rallied for a 9-4 win in game two and a pair of PSAC East baseball victories on Friday afternoon at Serpico Stadium.

ESU (34-13, 17-9) and West Chester (31-10, 19-7) entered the final weekend of the regular season tied for second in the PSAC East and are ranked second (ESU) and third (WCU) in the initial NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings, released this week.

The Warriors will host the second half of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mitterling Field.

Redshirt junior outfielder Robert Bennie tied ESU's single-season record for hits (77) with one in both games, matching the total of Brett Reynolds (2000) and Mark Angelo (2009).

Redshirt senior 3B Drew Hercik broke the single-season record for walks (43), surpassing Zac Menendez (42) in 2012.

Joe Sheeran hit a decisive two-run homer in the fourth inning of the opener for West Chester, and the Golden Rams had 11 hits - all singles - five walks, and one hit by pitch to score nine runs in the nightcap.

ESU redshirt senior pitcher Matt Festa took his first loss of the season in the opener, falling to 10-1 in 11 starts. Festa was the first PSAC pitcher to earn a win in each of his first 10 starts in at least 10 seasons. He completes the regular season with a 2.15 ERA, 86 strikeouts (3rd in school history) and 21 walks in 71.0 innings.

After Saturday's regular season finale, the Warriors will travel to Butler for the PSAC Tournament on May 8-11. ESU, the 2013 PSAC Tournament champion and 2015 runner-up, will make its fifth tournament appearance in the last seven seasons (since 2010).

Game 1 - L 5-4

West Chester scored three runs in the first inning, two in the fourth and ESU left 12 runners on base as the Golden Rams captured the opener.

The Warriors left at least one runner on base in all seven innings, including the bases loaded in the fifth after cutting the WCU lead to 5-4.

ESU got on the board in the second as redshirt senior 1B Matt Walewski was hit by a pitch, sophomore OF Christian Rishel singled, sophomore catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr. was hit by a pitch and redshirt junior 2B Jay Young had an RBI fielders choice.

The Warriors cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the fourth when redshirt junior OF Casey Saverio was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a single by Zimmerman and scored on a sacrifice fly by Young.

Sheeran's homer gave WCU a 5-2 edge in the bottom of the fourth, before the Warriors got both runs back in the top of the fifth on a two-run homer by Hercik after a leadoff walk by redshirt junior SS Conner Crookham. ESU loaded the bases but couldn't push the tying run across.

Festa stranded a runner on third with two strikeouts to end the bottom of the fifth and pitched around a two-out single in the sixth.

In the top of the seventh, Rishel reached on a leadoff error and sophomore pinch-runner Aden Tully advanced to third on a two-out single by Young, before WCU closed it out.

Nick Stallings (4.0 IP, 4 runs, 6 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks) picked up the win for WCU with Josh McClain (3.0 IP, 0 runs, 2 hits, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks) earning the save after Stallings pitched to three batters in the fifth.

Festa allowed five runs on six hits, struck out 10 and walked three. He moved into third at ESU in single-season strikeouts (86) and fifth in career strikeouts (196).

Eight players had one hit each for the Warriors.

Game 2 - L 9-4

ESU built a 4-0 lead with one run in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth - but WCU plated three in the bottom of the fifth and surged in front with a six-run sixth.

Saverio singled, advanced on a passed ball and wild pitch and scored on an RBI single by Young in the third, and Rishel followed one-out singles by Hercik and Walewski with an RBI fielders choice for a 2-0 lead in the fourth.

Zimmerman had a leadoff single, Young doubled and Bennie collected a two-RBI single to put the Warriors ahead 4-0 in the fifth.

Junior Tyler Eckman threw 4.0 shutout innings to open the game, but WCU opened the fifth with a single, walk, single, single, strikeout and single to make it 4-3. Redshirt sophomore left-hander Dan Woodley entered and stranded the tying run on second with a ground ball and a fly ball to get out of the fifth.

WCU took the lead in the sixth with six runs on two hits, four walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch after a strikeout and three other wild pitches off Woodley and junior Ben Bortz.

Eric Close was the winner for WCU, going 6.0 innings (4 runs, 3 earned, 7 hits, 1 strikeout, 1 walk). Mike O'Neill worked a 1-2-3 seventh.

Zach Sheranko was 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run, and Nick Ward was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs to lead WCU offensively.

Young had two of ESU's seven hits, including his double in the fifth.


GAME NOTES

* ESU season strikeout leaders
100 - Joel Bennett (1991)
88 - Brian Ernst (2013)
86 - Matt Festa (2016)
80 - Jeremy Gigliotti (2011)
77 - Joel Bennett (1990)

* ESU career strikeout leaders
238 - Jeremy Gigliotti (2007-11)
215 - Joel Bennett (1989-91)
201 - Brian Ernst (2010-13)
200 - Mike Zimorowicz (1999-02)
196 - Matt Festa (2014-   )
189 - Mark Cannon (1982-85)

* Hercik moved into 2nd at ESU in career RBI
146 - Chris Knott (2011-14)
126 - Drew Hercik (2013-   )
124 - Kevin Thompson (2005-09)
118 - Eric Boyer  (2010-13)
115 - Chris Zsenak (2006-09)