Gunkel hurls West Chester to win

CARY, N.C. - Righthander Joe Gunkel carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning Saturday as West Chester opened the NCAA Division II World Series with a 4-0 win over Chico State, at the USA Baseball Training Complex.

Pinch-hitter Abel Alcantar laced a single into center field on the first pitch in the top of the ninth to break up the no-hitter, but Gunkel (9-1) retired the side for the shutout.

West Chester (43-10) moved into the winner's bracket, where the Golden Rams will meet Southern New Hampshire, a 3-2 winner over Minnesota State-Mankato, at 5 p.m. Monday. Chico State (40-18) will play Mankato at 1 p.m. Monday in an elimination game.

"A lot of pitchers will tell you they don't know they are throwing a no-hitter," said Gunkel, a sophomore from Hershey High. "But they know. They can see the scoreboard.

"I didn't have my best stuff. But, I just let them put the ball in play, and they hit a lot of balls right at people."

West Chester scored in the first when Chris Pula (Northern Burlco) singled in Mike Raimo (Strath Haven). The Rams added three more in the second on a two-run single thru the left side of the infield by Raimo and an RBI double by Jack Provine.

With that, Gunkel was set, throwing just 99 pitches in the game.

Raimo was 2 for 4 with a two runs scored and two driven in. Provine was 2 for 2 with an RBI, and Pula was 2 for 4 with a RBI.

Dayton beat Richmond, 3-0, to win the Atlantic Ten baseball tournament at Fordham's Houlihan Park in the Bronx.

The Flyers (31-28), who will make their first NCAA tournament appearance, got a combined shutout from Parker Schrage and MVP Burny Mitchem, who recorded his second save of the tournament.

St. Joseph's outfielder Brett Tiagwad (St. Joe Prep) and pitcher Alex Pracher (Cherokee) both made the all-tournament team.

TRACK AND FIELD: Rutgers-Camden's Tim VanLiew (Deptford) won the javelin gold medal with a throw of 220 feet, 5 inches at the NCAA Division III outdoor championships in Claremont, Calif.

VanLiew edged defending national champion Gary Zack of Moravian by two inches. He is the first individual to win an NCAA title in Rutgers-Camden history. (The 2006 softball team also won a national title).

Rowan's 1,600-meter me's relay team won the gold medal at the Division II championships for the second straight year, running a winning time of 3 minutes, 10.56 seconds. Jayce Maxwell, Taylor Purdue, Ali Ejaz (Glassboro) and Demetrius Rooks (Absegami) carried the sticks for the Profs. Rooks and Ejaz also earned all-America honors in the 400 meter hurdles and 200 meters respectively

WOMEN'S LACROSSE: Lafayette's Addie Godfrey (Hun School) and Ana White (Strath Haven), were named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Mid-Atlantic Regional Second Team.