The West Chester Golden Rams continued their impressive run at the Division II College World Series on Sunday evening, defeating UT Tyler 8-2 to improve to 46-10 on the season. The victory tied the program record for wins in a single season and moved West Chester one step closer to a berth in the National Championship Series.
As they have done throughout much of the year, the Golden Rams wasted little time taking control. West Chester erupted for five runs in the first inning and never looked back. The fast start continued a trend that has fueled the team’s success all season, as the team improved to 26-1 when scoring in the first inning, 28-2 when scoring first, and 38-1 when scoring at least six runs.
The offense remained productive throughout the night, finishing with 16 hits. Austin Stalker paced the attack with a 3-for-5 performance and scored twice, while Harry Middlebrooks also collected three hits and drove in three runs. Hunter Smith added two hits and two runs scored, and Patrick Gozdan contributed two hits, two runs, and an RBI.
On the mound, Kyle Lazer gave West Chester 4.1 solid innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out three. After Lazer’s departure, West Chester’s bullpen kept UT Tyler in check. Simpson delivered 2.2 scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits and a walk while recording two strikeouts. Landen Rozich handled the final two innings, holding the Patriots scoreless and sealing the Golden Rams’ victory.
Following the win, head coach Mike LaRosa credited both his pitching staff and offense for their execution against a tough opponent.
“The boys competed their butts off tonight,” LaRosa told West Chester University Athletics. “I’m really proud of this group for the way they battled against a really tough UT Tyler group. On both sides, we had to fight and claw our way through some innings, but credit to our pitching staff for battling all night and making big pitches in big spots, and our offense for executing the game plan as well as they did.”
West Chester will return to action Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. They will face the winner of Tuesday’s elimination game between Central Missouri and UT Tyler. A win on Wednesday would send West Chester to the National Championship Series, which could begin as early as Thursday.
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