The No. 14/16-ranked West Chester baseball team opened the 2026 PSAC Tournament the way veteran postseason teams are expected to open postseason tournaments Thursday afternoon: absorb an early punch, settle in, and eventually overwhelm an opponent with relentless offense.
After falling behind by two runs in the opening inning, West Chester erupted for eight runs in the third inning and rolled to a 13-5 victory in its tournament opener.
For a club with championship aspirations, the response may have been the most impressive part of the afternoon.
There was no panic. No unraveling. Just the steady confidence of a team that has spent most of the spring overpowering opponents with depth, experience, and offensive pressure.
And once the Golden Rams’ lineup started moving, there was little standing in its way.
Veteran right-hander Julian Costa continued adding to one of the most decorated careers in Division II baseball, earning his 10th victory of the season while becoming the NCAA Division II active career wins leader with career victory No. 32. Costa worked five innings, allowing three runs while once again stabilizing the game after a rocky first inning.
“He always puts us in a position to win,” head coach Mike LaRosa said afterward. “He never panics, competes and gives us solid innings and a great chance to win every time he takes the mound.”
That same description could have applied to West Chester as a whole.
Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the third inning, the Golden Rams detonated offensively.
Landen Rozich opened the inning with a double before West Chester began stacking quality at-bats one after another. Drew Simpson tied the game after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Austin Stalker followed with a two-run single that permanently shifted momentum. Hunter Smith added an RBI double. Christian Michak forced home another run with a walk before Tanner Donati delivered one of the biggest swings of the afternoon with a two-run single as the inning spiraled completely out of control.
By the time the inning ended, West Chester had transformed a tense one-run deficit into a commanding 9-2 advantage.
Donati continued the offensive surge in the fourth inning with a two-run double as the Golden Rams stretched the lead to 12-2 and effectively removed any suspense from the afternoon. He finished 2-for-4 with four RBI in one of the strongest postseason performances of his career.
From there, West Chester’s bullpen handled the rest.
Ben Jones, Kyle Rogers, and Patrick Taney combined to close out the final four innings as the Golden Rams improved to 38-9 overall and moved one step closer to another deep postseason run.
The club will face either Indiana or Shippensburg on Friday.
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