The West Chester University baseball team, ranked seventh in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II National poll, defeated Philadelphia University by a score of 5-3 today in a non-league game at Alumni Field.

West Chester improves to 31-4 for the campaign; the Rams drop to 4-14, ending their two-game winning streak.

Sophomore second baseman Tyler Mentzer (Gettysburg, Pa./Delone Catholic) belted his team-leading third home run and junior right fielder Devin Conroy (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) connected for his first long ball of the 2008 season (pictured above); but the solo shots were not enough to offset West Chester's aggresive baserunning, which led to seven Golden Ram stolen bases.

Head Coach Mark Heineman's team opted to continue playing with wood bats, as is required in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play this season.  In non-conference games, however, the Rams are free to use metal bats.  But with the team esentially square in the heart of the CACC season, they decided to stay on the wooden path against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division foe West Chester today.

Considering their highly-ranked opponent and whatever advantage they might have yielded to West Chester today in the lumber vs. metal department, the Rams can take some consolation in losing by just two runs to the Golden Rams.

Up next for the baseball team is another quick turnaround to CACC action, as the Rams host Bloomfield College tomorrow for a conference doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m. at Alumni Field.  The Deacons come into Thursday's scheduled seven-inning contests with an 11-19 overall record (2-5 in the league); while the Rams are 3-2 in the CACC, including a 7-6 defeat at Bloomfield last Thursday, April 3.

(Tyler Mentzer steals second base in the bottom of the fourth inning in Wednesday's 5-3 loss vs. seventh-ranked West Chester.)