In a thrilling contest on Wednesday afternoon, West Chester claimed the 2024 Bill Giles Classic championship with a 9-5 victory. They scored five crucial runs in the top of the 10th inning and then held off Jefferson in the bottom half to secure the win.
West Chester, with a record of 25-5, extended their winning streak to 15 games and clinched their 15th Bill Giles Championship. Jefferson, at 20-11, suffered their second consecutive defeat in the championship game against the Golden Rams.
The decisive 10th inning began with Anthony Boccio placed on second base. Avery Spencer kicked off the rally with a sacrifice bunt that resulted in an error, allowing Boccio to score and Spencer to advance to third. Sean Szestowicki then singled home Spencer and later moved up to second on a wild pitch. Casey Vaughan doubled home Szestowicki and advanced Julian Costa to third after he was hit by a pitch. Evan Profy contributed with a sacrifice fly to score Costa, and Vaughan later crossed the plate on a walk to Joe Kaleck after a wild pitch.
In the bottom of the 10th, Jefferson managed to score a run with their runner placed on second but couldn't do more against Nick Noga's pitching.
Julian Costa, who pitched the ninth inning, earned the win to improve his record to 5-2 on the year.
Profy, whose two-run homer tied the game earlier, had an impressive 3-for-5 performance with three RBIs. Szestowicki also had a strong showing, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs.
The pitching staff used six different pitchers, allowing five runs on 10 hits while striking out 10 batters. Costa struck out five in 2 2/3 innings, while Noga recorded the final two strikeouts to seal West Chester's victory and deny Jefferson's comeback attempt.