West Chester opened its season Saturday with a split against Charleston. On Sunday, the No. 9/12 Golden Rams (3-1) made sure there’d be no such drama. They swept the Golden Eagles in convincing fashion—9-2 in Game 1, 10-2 in Game 2—behind dominant pitching and a relentless offense.
Kyle Lazer set the tone with five strong innings in the opener, scattering six hits and one run while striking out four. Ryan DeHaven closed the door, allowing just an unearned run over two innings.
Charleston struck first, but West Chester wasted no time responding. Ben Bolhouse tied it in the second with an RBI single before Sean Szestowicki put the Rams ahead for good in the third. Then came the knockout punch—a John Dunion grand slam in the fifth, turning a close game into a runaway.
Charleston cycled through four pitchers, none with answers for a West Chester lineup that saw Casey Vaughan, Bolhouse, and Caleb Strawhecker each notch two hits.
Kyle Kearns kept the momentum rolling in the nightcap, firing four scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Freshman Patrick Taney impressed in his debut with two perfect innings, while Brody Minder worked the seventh in his collegiate debut.
West Chester jumped ahead early on a two-run single by Jake Welsch, then tacked on runs with a steady dose of timely hits, bases-loaded walks, and small-ball execution. A five-run sixth inning put the game out of reach, with Bolhouse capping the frame with a two-RBI single.
Charleston managed a pair of runs in the seventh, but this was all Golden Rams from start to finish.
In other action, Holy Family showed plenty of fight but came up short in a pair of wild games against Bloomsburg, falling 13-10 and 12-10 at Father Judge High School. The Tigers trimmed a seven-run deficit to three in both contests, nearly completing a comeback in the nightcap after a five-run fifth put the tying run on second in the sixth and then at the plate in the seventh. Andy Rivera was the offensive catalyst, going 4-for-5 with a home run, double, six RBI, two runs, and a stolen base.
Elsewhere, Chestnut Hill also picked up a win, knocking off Franklin Pierce 9-4 behind a three-hit performance from Justin Geiger, who also swiped a base. Shawn LeVan chipped in with a pair of RBIs.
