One win away.
That's where West Chester finds itself after another dominant offensive performance and another step toward a return to the Division II National Championship Series.
The Golden Rams collected 16 hits, scored five times in the opening inning and rode a deep pitching effort to an 8-3 victory over Texas Tyler on Sunday night in Cary, advancing to the National Finals pod championship and moving within a victory of the championship series.
The win was No. 46 on the season for West Chester, matching the program record established by the 2009 national championship team and later equaled by the 2012 title squad.
And as has been the case all spring, the Golden Rams wasted little time establishing control.
West Chester entered the night with one of the most explosive first innings in Division II baseball and immediately added to that reputation. The Golden Rams sent 10 batters to the plate in the opening frame and pounded out six hits while building a 5-0 lead before Texas Tyler could settle into the game.
Patrick Gozdan delivered the first run with an RBI single. Tanner Donati followed with a sacrifice fly before Christian Michak and Harry Middlebrooks added run-scoring hits as West Chester put the Patriots in an immediate hole.
The quick start continued a season-long trend.
West Chester improved to 28-2 when scoring first and 26-1 when scoring in the opening inning.
Austin Stalker helped fuel the offensive attack throughout the evening, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Middlebrooks matched him with three hits of his own and drove in three runs, while Gozdan, Donati and Hunter Smith each added multi-hit performances.
The early support proved valuable for starter Kyle Lazer.
Lazer navigated traffic throughout his 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs while working around six walks. Texas Tyler threatened repeatedly, but West Chester consistently found a way to escape the biggest moments.
The Patriots finally broke through for two runs in the fourth inning after loading the bases, but Lazer limited the damage and preserved a 7-2 lead.
That proved to be enough.
Drew Simpson delivered perhaps the most important outing of the night, entering in the fifth inning and immediately shutting down a developing rally. The right-hander recorded the final two outs of the fifth and then continued through the seventh, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits.
His effort stabilized the game and prevented Texas Tyler from building any momentum.
Meanwhile, the offense kept applying pressure.
Donati drove in his second run of the game with an RBI single in the second inning. Michak added another run in the fourth, and Middlebrooks capped the scoring with an RBI single in the eighth that pushed the lead to 8-2.
Freshman reliever Landen Rozich handled the final two innings, allowing one run while recording two strikeouts to secure the victory.
The result continued one of the most remarkable trends of West Chester's season. The Golden Rams are now 38-1 when scoring six or more runs and have trailed for only a half inning during the entire NCAA Tournament.
Now comes the biggest game yet.
West Chester will enjoy two days off before returning to the field Wednesday afternoon needing just one more victory to advance to the Division II National Championship Series.
After another explosive first inning and another complete team performance, the Golden Rams are exactly where they hoped to be entering the final week of the season — one win from playing for a national title.
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