West Chester entered Friday looking to protect home turf and maintain its footing in the PSAC East race. Instead, the Golden Rams were forced to regroup.
Shippensburg took both ends of a doubleheader at Serpico Stadium, rolling to a 17-4 win in the opener before holding off a late West Chester rally for a 6-5 victory in game two.
The opener got away quickly.
After a scoreless first, Shippensburg broke through with a three-run home run in the second and followed with six more runs in the third, building a 9-0 lead before West Chester could settle in. The Golden Rams showed some life in the third, getting RBI doubles from Drew Simpson and Hunter Smith to cut into the deficit, but the momentum was short-lived.
Shippensburg continued to apply pressure, adding runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh to turn the game into a rout. West Chester scratched across a late run and loaded the bases in the seventh, but the early damage proved too much to overcome in a 17-4 loss.
If the first game slipped away, the second offered a glimpse of the fight that has defined much of West Chester’s season.
The Golden Rams fell behind again early, trailing 3-0 after three innings, but chipped away. Caleb Strawhecker delivered a two-run single in the third to bring West Chester within one, and later launched a two-run home run in the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Then came the moment.
In the sixth inning, Hunter Smith stepped in and changed the game with one swing, launching a towering home run over the left-field scoreboard to tie it at 5-5 and bring the Golden Rams all the way back.
But just as quickly as West Chester had seized momentum, Shippensburg answered.
A solo home run in the seventh — the Raiders’ sixth of the day — put the visitors back in front, and this time the lead held.
West Chester had one last opportunity in the bottom half. A leadoff walk and a well-executed sacrifice bunt brought the potential tying run into scoring position, but Shippensburg’s bullpen delivered, retiring the next two hitters to close out the sweep.
The result marked a rare stumble at home for West Chester — just the second time in the last two seasons the Golden Rams have been swept at Serpico Stadium.
Still, the response in the nightcap offered a reminder of what remains.
West Chester will look to carry that momentum into Saturday, when the series shifts to Shippensburg for the final two games.
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