No. 14 West Chester Holds On For 5-4 Win In Atlantic Regional Opener

Box Score

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. – Winston-Salem State scored twice in the top of the eighth, but West Chester closer Josh McClain (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) came on to slam the door and lead the 14th-ranked Golden Rams to a 5-4 victory in the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Russell Diethrick Stadium Thursday afternoon.
 
West Chester (37-11) advances into the winners bracket of the regional and will play Shepherd on Friday night at 7 p.m. Shepherd defeated Seton Hill in its first game Thursday. Winston-Salem State (35-18) falls into the loser's bracket.
 
McClain came on after the leadoff hitter got on in the eighth inning. He allowed the inherited runner to score and one more run to cross, before recording an inning-ending strikeout with the bases loaded to earn his ninth save of the season.
 
Jon Fisher (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) threw seven-plus innings, amounting to 110 pitches to earn the win. He improves to 7-2 on the year.
 
Nick Bateman (Aston, Pa./Malvern) finished 3-for-4 in the game while Drew Jarmuz (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) hit smashed his fourth home run of the season – a two-run shot in the fourth – to lead the Golden Rams' offensive push. Jarmuz finished with three RBI.
 
Jarmuz's HR gave West Chester a 3-0 lead. He was responsible for the Rams' first three runs, having hit a sacrifice fly in the second that put WCU on top 1-0.
 
After WSSU responded with a run in the top half of the sixth inning, West Chester came right back with an unearned run in the bottom half. The same scenario played out in the seventh, except WCU's run was earned. Jared Melone's (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) RBI single put the Golden Rams up 5-2.