Gunkel leads West Chester to national baseball title

Joe Gunkel and catcher Reid Pulford hug after the 9-0 win.
Joe Gunkel and catcher Reid Pulford hug after the 9-0 win. (WILLIS GLASSGOW / WG Sports Photos)
By the Inquirer Staff
Posted: June 03, 2012

CARY, N.C. - Sophomore Joe Gunkel threw his second shutout of the Division II College World Series on Saturday as West Chester beat Delta State, 9-0, to claim the school's first NCAA baseball championship.

Gunkel, who threw a one-hitter against Chico State in the opener a week earlier, allowed just five hits as the Golden Rams swept all four series games to finish their season 46-10.

The 6-foot-6 righthander from Hershey was named the tournament MVP.

Delta State (Miss.) finished 49-15.

The game was over early. West Chester scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning as Statemen starter Colton Mitchell never retired a batter.

Mike Raimo (Strath Haven High) led off with a walk, and Jack Provine ripped a double down the leftfield line. Joe Wendle (Avon Grove) walked to load the bases with nobody out and Chris Pula (Northern Burlco) singled in the first run.

Justin Lamborn (Garnet Valley) drew a bases loaded walk to score a second run and Matt Baer singled two more to double the lead to 4-0.

That was it for Mitchell,

Reliever Ricky Winters got a strikeout, but West Chester's Josh Heyne singled in the fifth run of the inning.

Heyne and Pula each finished 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI while Wendle went 2 for 3 with a double and a pair of runs scored.

The Rams are the first team from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to win the D-II World Series.

West Chester also won the Division II national championship in field hockey last fall.

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