College baseball: West Chester sweeps Shepherd to move into first place
WEST GOSHEN – West Chester baseball coach Mike LaRosa is confident that his squad plays better when it plays loose.
The theory was confirmed once again during a clutch doubleheader sweep Friday over PSAC East rival Shepherd (W.Va.) at Serpico Field. Ranked 18th nationally, the Golden Rams leaned on its starting pitchers and added in some timely hitting to produce a 4-2 game one win, followed by a come-from-behind 7-1 triumph in the nightcap.
"Our pattern is that when the guys are loose, we play really good," LaRosa said. "When they are thinking too much about the implications, then we try to do more than we are capable of doing. I think we've learned that about ourselves."
It helped WCU (12-6 PSAC East, 27-8 overall) leapfrog Shepherd (11-7, 24-15) into first place in the division race heading into another critical twinbill Saturday in Shepherdstown, W.Va. LaRosa is expecting his team to play a little more free and loose.
"Taking two (Friday) kind of takes the pressure off heading into (Saturday)," he pointed out. "If we lost both today, those suddenly become must wins. I think we will be able to play more relaxed (Saturday)."
West Chester now has four more division doubleheaders to end the regular season. Positioning for the postseason and a potential crown is at stake.
"Our goal is to just win one inning at a time," said sophomore outfielder Hunter Smith. "Our goal this weekend is to stay loose no matter the circumstances.
"Sometimes we go up to the plate trying to do too much. Today it was just important to stand back and try to hit ground balls."
Smith delivered two impactful at bats in the nightcap, which helped WCU to first end a no-hit bid by Shepherd starter Devin Mattei in the fifth inning. Then an inning later, the Mansfield transfer registered the Rams only extra base hit of the day, which drove in two runs and sparked a seven-run rally that opened things up considerably.
"If we can keep it close, we are usually able to win those games,"LaRosa said. "There was no sense of panic. I think our players have a good sense of sticking to the process.
"It's baseball. We hit a lot of balls right at (Shepherd) all day, and all of the sudden you get a big hit and then you are starting to find the holes after that. It can just change so quickly."
Senior Carter Rust and sophomore Caleb Strawhecker (Avon Grove) registered singles early in the sixth to chase Mattei, and a walk loaded the bases. A full count walk to senior Austin Stalker then knotted the score at 1-1, setting the stage for a two-run double by Smith that sailed over the head of the centerfielder.
"Shepherd's infield and outfield were in with the bases loaded and that ball carried," LaRosa said.
"Stalker put a great at bat together to get the first run in," Smith added. "As soon as I got to two strikes, I knew my job was to get it in the air into the outfield to score another run on a sacrifice fly. I did that, and the ball carried a bit."
Senior Christian Michak followed with a two-run single, and Shepherd hurt its own cause with a couple wild pitches and a throwing error. In all, WCU sent 11 batters to the plate, had four hits and faced five different pitchers.
Sophomore starter Luke Reho wound up with a complete game victory for West Chester, scattering six hits along the way.
"After the long sixth inning, we talked about whether we should get (Raho) out of there," LaRosa explained. "But the kid is a competitor and it was his game to finish. And he did that."
Trailing 1-0 in the opener, the Rams tied it on an RBI single by junior Tanner Donati in the second inning, and then took the lead for good with a two-run single by sophomore Patrick Gozdan in the third. Rust then added another run scoring hit in the sixth to make it 4-1.
"If our bats don't start off hot, we know it is going to pick up," Smith said. "Even if it happens in the sixth inning, we know we will get there eventually."
Staff ace Julian Costa surrendered a leadoff homer in the seventh. And after a double and an error put two more Shepherd runners on base, reliever Landen Rozich (Oxford) came in for a three out save.
"I left a couple off-speed pitches up in the first inning, but after that I stayed low in the (strike) zone," said Costa, who improves to 7-2 this season. "My changeup felt good, the curveball was good and the fastball was playing today."
LaRosa added: "Julian (Costa) and Luke (Raho) pitched awesome and that helps set us up (Saturday) because our bullpen is rested.
"Both had good stuff – not their best. But both got out there and competed."
In all, Costa scattered seven hits, fanned eight and did not walk a batter. The senior from Mantua, N.J., already holds the program mark for career strikeouts and is just one win away from equaling the record for career wins (30).
"It always feels good to have personal accomplishments, but at the end of the day I want a ring," Costa said. "I want to get to Cary (N.C., home of the NCAA Division II College World Series). That's the goal."
West Chester 4, Shepherd 2 (Game One)
Shepherd 100 000 1 – 2
West Chester 012 001 x – 4
2B – Pullen, Rose, O'Brien. HR – Lamb.
WP – Costa. LP – Miller.
West Chester 7, Shepherd 1 (Game Two)
Shepherd 100 000 0 – 1
West Chester 000 007 x – 7
2B: Smith. HR – Fluharty.
WP: Raho. LP: Mattei.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 9:21 PM.