MANSFIELD, Pa. – Mansfield baseball (13-30, 7-19 PSAC East) finished its home 2025 campaign on Thursday (May 1) afternoon as they welcomed the West Chester Golden Rams (34-13, 16-10 PSAC East) to close the year from Joseph Shaute Field.
 
Game One: West Chester 13, Mansfield 9
 
The Golden Rams took an early 3-0 lead on a long home run over the right-center field fence in the top of the first.
 
WCU added another with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second to extend their lead to four.
 
Shane Stossel got one back for the Mounties in the bottom of the second, blasting a solo shot over the scoreboard in left-center field to make it a 4-1 game.
 
Austin Beauchamp started for Mansfield in game one and settled in after a rocky first two innings. Beauchamp completed 5.0+ innings, allowed five earned runs on six hits, and struck out six Golden Rams.
 
West Chester scored another off a Mountaineer error to reclaim their four-run advantage in the fourth.
 
The Mansfield offense woke up in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs, three coming off the bat of Jacob Houtz, who blasted a ball over the center-field wall to tie the game at five. Kahale Burns put the Mountaineers in front with an RBI double that scored Stossel.
 
The Golden Rams didn't take long to even the score, jumping on the Mansfield starter for a lead-off homer in the sixth. WCU reclaimed the lead once again in the inning, scoring on an error by the Mountie defense.
 
West Chester tacked on six more and took a 13-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh. Mansfield scored three in the bottom half and dropped game one 13-9.
 
Game Two: West Chester 6, Mansfield 4
 
West Chester grabbed the early lead again in game two, scoring two runs in the top of the second.
 
Kahale Burns crushed his third collegiate homer to center in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit to one.
 
The Golden Rams responded with two more in the top half of the third to take a 4-1 lead.
 
Hunter Smith's long ball in the bottom of the fourth made it halfway up the "Longball Lounge" in center. Ryan Sekulski followed with an RBI double to cut into the West Chester lead once again, making it 4-3 after four.
 
Stossel tied the game at four, scoring from third on a passed ball in the bottom of the fifth.
 
The Golden Rams reclaimed the lead in the sixth thanks to a two-run shot over the 375 sign in center.
 
Houtz led off the seventh with a rocket to third that was snared by the West Chester third baseman for the first out. Stossel followed with a double down the left field line to bring the tying run to the plate. Smith was hit by a pitch to put two on with one out.
 
Ryan Verbonitz lined out to short for the second out of the inning. Burns stepped in with the tying run on first and two outs, another rocket of the Mounties' bats found a glove and ended the day 6-4.
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Mounties finish their 2025 season tomorrow, May 2, at West Chester University. Game one of the doubleheader against the Golden Rams is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.