Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (April 6) – The Waynesburg University softball team continued a difficult early part of its Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) schedule on Saturday with a road trip to second-place Westminster College. The Yellow Jackets built up early leads in both games of the doubleheader, but the Titans were able to defend their home turf by coming back to score a sweep by the scores of 7-4 and 8-5.
 
The Jackets (8-10, 0-6) exploded out of the gates in the opener with a four-run top of the fourth inning. The visitors took advantage of a Westminster (9-9, 5-1) error in the first inning that led to four unearned Waynesburg runs. After senior shortstop Rachael Moon and junior leftfielder Jasmine Blackwell connected on back-to-back one-out singles, junior right fielder Jenna Dorazio loaded the bases with a two-out one-base knock of her own. The Titans committed its costly miscue during the at-bat of junior second baseman Madison Presto, which allowed Moon and Blackwell to score. Sophomore first baseman Haley Payne followed with a two-run single that gave Waynesburg a 4-0 advantage.
 
Waynesburg was able to maintain its lead until the third inning, when its opposition tied the game up with a run in the bottom of the frame. Westminster chipped away at the deficit with a two runs in the first and another in the second, before tying everything up in the third.
 
After neither team scored in the fourth, the home team scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth. The Titans tacked on two runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth to bring about the 7-4 final score.
 
Moon and Blackwell led the Waynesburg offense by both going two-for-four at the plate. Junior Carrie Maier threw all six innings of the loss, giving up four earned runs on 10 hits and two walks.
 
Westminster, which served as the visiting team for game two, grabbed the early lead with a run in the top of the first inning of the late contest. The Jackets responded an inning later with a two-spot in the bottom of the second thanks to RBI knocks from Presto and Payne, the first of which was a two-bagger that scored Dorazio to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Waynesburg doubled its advantage to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth when sophomore centerfielder Shelby Tabrosky singled to center field to bring Presto into score. Unfortunately, like game one, the Jackets were unable to maintain their early advantage. The Titans plated two runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game up at 3-3.
 
After a scoreless sixth frame, Westminster's bats exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh and final frame to go ahead 8-3, before the Jackets took one last shot at a win. With runners on second and third and one out on the board, junior pinch-hitter Sarah Spicher cracked a two-run double to left field that scored Moon and freshman pitcher Katey Potopenko and trimmed the deficit down to three runs. Unfortunately, the Titans were able to record the final two outs of the day and pick up the win.
 
The Jackets suffered the loss in game two, despite out-hitting their hosts by a 12-to-11 margin. Potopenko, Presto and Payne connected on a team-high two hits each, while Presto scored a team-high two runs.
 
Potopenko suffered the game-two loss in the pitching circle after relieving sophomore starting pitcher Jenn Lingg. Lingg performed well, giving up just one run on four hits and a walk over three innings of work. The Jacket rookie relieved her teammate in the fourth inning and allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks.
 
After playing six-straight games against PAC opponents with a conference winning percentage of .500 or higher, Waynesburg will host a strong non-conference opponent in 15-6 Frostburg State on Monday, April 8, for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader.