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LANCASTER, Pa. -- West Chester scored scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to win Thursday afternoon to hand The Rock a 5-2 loss in second-day action of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Baseball Championships at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The loss eliminated SRU from the tournament and gave the Green and White a 25-23 final record for the 2008 season.

West Chester took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a hit batsman with the bases loaded and one out. The Golden Rams loaded the sacks with a pair of hits sandwiched around a base on balls, all before an out was recorded.

A 5-2-3 double play immediately following the bases-load hit batsman kept West Chester from doing any further damage.

The Rock came right back to tie the score at 1-1 as senior center fielder #M.J. Parsons# smacked a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second inning.

An inning later, sophomore first baseman Matt Adams gave SRU a 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly. Junior shortstop Rich Michalek got the rally started with a one-out single, and junior right fielder Scott Bender received a walk before both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch to set the stage for Adams' run-scoring flyball.

The Rock had the leadoff hitter on base via a single in each of the final four innings but was unable to get a runner past second base after taking the 2-1 lead.

In the top of the fifth, West Chester again took advantage of wildness by Rock starting pitcher Don Pugliese to tie the count at 2-2. The Golden Rams manufactured their second run of the game from a pair of hit batsman and two bases on balls.

All told, three Rock pitchers hit eight batters Thursday and issued four bases on balls.

West Chester threatened to take advantage of two hit batsmen and break the 2-2 tie in the top of the sixth, but The Rock turned its second double play of the game to kill the rally.

The Golden Rams also threatened to score in the top of the eighth, as they had runners on first and third bases with only out, but the lead runner was quickly shot down at the plate on a ground ball.

The next West Chester batter was hit by a pitch, though, to load the bases with two outs before a  groundout by the ensuing hitter left the sacks full.

West Chester, which stranded a total of 16 runners on base in the course of the game, finally made the most of an opportunity in the top of the ninth as the Golden Rams got  three runs on three hits, two groundouts and a hit batsman.

Parsons gave The Rock hope for a last-inning comeback when he led off the ninth with a single but the threat was snuffed out by a flyout and two groundouts by the ensuing batters.

The Rock collected seven hits in the game. Michalek had three of the hits, all singles, while Parsons added two hits and Bender and sophomore left fielder Jacob Oswalt each had a single.

Senior righthander Craig Misiewicz, the third pitcher used by Rock head coach Jeff Messer, was tagged with the loss after he allowed three earned runs on four hits and hit one batter in two innings of work.

Pugliese yielded two earned runs on four hits, struck out four, walked three and hit five batters in the first four and two-thirds innings.

Freshman righthander Justin Thomas gave up two hits, struck out one, walked one and hit two batters in two and one-third innings.