Box Score

LANCASTER, Pa. - Shippensburg University baseball junior Matt Wright became the school's single-season strikeout leader and just the third pitcher in PSAC history to record 300 career strikeouts on Wednesday in a 7-0 loss to No. 20 West Chester Wednesday night in the opening round of the PSAC Baseball Championship at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Shippensburg (33-22) has totaled 25 hits in three games this season against the Golden Rams, but none of them have gone for extra bases. Meanwhile, No. 20 West Chester (39-20) tied its school record for victories in a season and its victory marked the first time in five tries that the Golden Rams won their opening game of the tournament.

West Chester (39-20) junior starter Jason Bowman held the Red Raiders to just six singles in eight innings and struck out seven.

Wright threw five innings for the Red Raiders and allowed his most runs in his last 11 starts, relinquishing four while striking out eight batters. It is only the third time this season that Wright has allowed four or more runs in a game, dating back to the March 1 contest against Georgia College and State in which gave up five runs in 6.2 innings.

Intriguingly, three of Wright's eight strikeouts were recorded by West Chester's Matt Cotellese, the leading hitter for the Golden Rams. In 171 at-bats entering Wednesday's game, Cotellese had struck out just five times. 

The first strikeout of Cotellese moved Wright past Evan Englebrook '04 into sole possession of the school record for strikeouts in a season. Englebrook recorded 113 in the 2004 season, while Wright currently has 120 strikeouts this season.

The only Red Raider to record more than one hit in the game was junior Sean Killian, who went 2-for-2 before being lifted later in the game. Five other Red Raiders, including juniors Tyler Redick and Kyle Rhoades, delivered singles.

Shippensburg's next game will be an elimination game tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. against the loser of the morning matchup between Kutztown and Indiana (Pa.).

Last season, the Red Raiders were shutout in the opening game of the tournament before rebounding for three consecutive victories to win the 2007 PSAC Baseball Championship.