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No. 13 West Chester Drops Opener at National Championships to No. 1 North Greenville, 3-1

West Chester had good moments, but couldn't put them together well enough for a win.

West Chester's Luke Cantwell catches a fly ball in deep right field against North Greenville in the Division II College World Series.
West Chester's Luke Cantwell catches a fly ball in deep right field against North Greenville in the Division II College World Series.Read moreBrett Friedlander
    by Brett Friedlander, For The Inquirer
    Published 

CARY, NC – No. 1-ranked North Greenville put up single tallies in the second, fifth and sixth, topping No. 13 West Chester, 3-1, in the opening game of the NCAA Division II National Championships at Coleman Field Sunday evening.

The Golden Rams squad (34-14), who went unbeaten in its last two trips to the national finals while winning national titles in 2012 and 2017, saw its personal eight-game winning streak at the championships snapped by the top-ranked Crusaders (51-10).

West Chester got on the board in the top of sixth when Justin Horn led off with a single up the middle and moved to second on a passed ball. Mike Ferrara then hit a dribbler back to the mound that North Greenville pitcher Reece Fields couldn’t handle. The ball got away from him along the first base line, and Horn raced around third and headed home to make it a 2-1 game.

West Chester left-handed starter Braeden Fausnaught lasted six innings allowing three runs on six hits. He walked five and struck out four. Reliever Dylan Howanitz came on and pitched the final two innings.

Ferrara finished the day 1-for-3 with a double down the left-field line just inside the third-base bag.

West Chester will take on Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in an elimination game.

NOTES: West Chester lost its first game at the national championships since 2009 when an 8-6 defeat to UC San Diego ended its season … West Chester is now 9-5 all-time in the final round of the NCAA Division II National Championships … Braeden Fausnaught was the first left-hander since Frank Gailey in 2006 to make a start on the mound in the national finals.