The Waynesburg softball team was all smiles after sweeping Chatham in a PAC doubleheader. The team sported yellow shirts during the wins in support of Alex's Lemonade Stand, an organization that raises money for childhood cancers.
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 17) – The Waynesburg University softball team looked strong as they swept a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader on Saturday against Chatham.
Behind a masterful pitching performance from Amanda Baughman, the Yellow Jackets took game one by the final of 5-1. They followed that with a 10-4 victory over the Cougars in the late contest. With the wins, the Jackets are now 11-13 on the year and 4-4 in PAC play. Chatham drops to 7-17 on the season.
After a scoreless first inning in the opener, Waynesburg got all the offense they needed in the bottom of the second frame. With two runners on and two outs on the board, shortstop Kristen Lautenschlager reached base on an error that allowed center fielder Amber Pivik and third baseman Samantha Volponi to come around and score.
Waynesburg padded its lead to 5-0 with a run in the third, a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth. The Jackets went up 3-0 on an RBI double by Pivik that brought second baseman Bre Kokladas in to score. The next inning, Waynesburg made it 4-0 on a single by Kokladas that plated catcher Lizz Bombara, who tripled in the previous at-bat. The home team got its final run of the game when Lautenschlager singled in Volponi in the fifth.
Chatham got an unearned run in the top of the sixth, but it was too little too late, especially with Baughman enjoying a fine day in the circle. The junior righty tossed all seven innings, gave up just one hit, a single, walked two and struck out 10 Chatham batters. Kokladas led the way at the plate in the first game, going three-for-three with a walk and a run scored.
Waynesburg served as the visiting team in game two and immediately jumped in front, thanks in large part to three Chatham errors. The Cougar miscues allowed three runs to come across the plate, only one of which was earned. Bombara, who served as the designated player in the game, picked up an RBI single in the frame.
Chatham rebounded with two runs in the bottom of the first, but that was as close as they could get to picking up a win in game two.
Leading 3-2 in the top of the second, Waynesburg rebuilt a three-run lead (5-2) on an RBI single by Baughman and a wild pitch that allowed Lautenschlager to score from third. The Jackets ran the score to 7-2 in the top of the fourth thanks a two-run double by catcher Tonya Tanner that pushed Bombara and Kokladas across the plate.
Chatham produced their final two runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth to trim the lead to 7-4. Once again, the Jackets were up to the task of rebuilding a comfortable advantage.
In the top of the sixth, an RBI single by Volponi and a two-run hit up the middle by left fielder Krista Jackson gave the Jackets a 10-4 lead and they were well on their way to the win.
Baughman again got the start in the circle and worked seven more innings. She gave up four earned runs on seven hits and no walks, while adding six strikeouts to her day. At the plate, she and Volponi picked up a pair of hits each during the win. Lautenschlager, Bombara and right fielder Brittany Lyle scored two runs each in the second of the day.
Waynesburg, which is currently on a four-game winning streak, will try to keep pushing towards a spot in the PAC playoffs on Tuesday, April 20, when they host Westminster for another conference twin bill. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
