Seton Hill pounds West Chester, 10-0, wins 3rd PSAC title

Seton Hill’s baseball team keeps checking things off their list of goals.

The Griffins captured their third PSAC title with a 10-0 rout of West Chester on Saturday at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park. Their other titles came in 2017 and 2018.

“We still have two (goals) remaining,” Seton Hill coach Marc Marizzaldi said during the postgame interview on the Westmoreland Sports Network, referring to a regional and World Series title. “These players are self-motivated, and us not being in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament last year, these guys were on a mission.”

The Griffins (44-10) recorded 14 hits, punctuating a dominant tournament run in which they outscored opponents 48-8 and ended three games with the 10-run mercy rule.

Vinny Rauso was named tournament MVP after going 11 for 17 with eight RBIs and two doubles. He was 5 for 5 with three RBIs in the championship game.

Max Mandler went 4 for 4 with an RBI and a double, and Braden Durham had two RBIs with a triple and double.

Three pitchers — Andino Vecchiolla, Michael Marinchak and Blake Barker — combined on a seven-hit shutout.

“The three things key to success is good pitching, good defense and solid hitting,” Marizzaldi said. “Normally you don’t get all three clicking at the same time. We did this week, and hopefully it will continue.”

Seton Hill, which is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region, will probably host the regional, which begins Thursday. Entering the tournament, Millersville was seeded No. 1, but it was knocked out of the tournament by IUP.

The Griffins reached the College World Series in 2021.

The NCAA will released the pairings for the regional tournaments at 11 p.m. Sunday.