Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

BECKLEY, W.Va. (Feb. 20) – The Waynesburg University baseball team opened the 2014 season on Thursday at Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, W.Va. The Yellow Jackets faced off against La Roche College for a doubleheader that saw each team pick up a win on the afternoon.
 
The Jackets (1-1) took game one 5-2, while the Redhawks (1-1), which received two votes as part of the D3baseball.com preseason national top 25 rankings, came back to win game two 6-2. Thursday's twin-bill was a chance for Waynesburg, which graduated six starting fielders from last year's team, to debut a multitude of new faces that are expected to play major roles on the 2014 squad.
 
La Roche opened up the scoring on the day with two runs in the top of the first inning of game one. Freshman starting pitcher Parker Beatty not only got out of the first frame without giving up any more damage, but tossed two shutout innings to end his collegiate debut. Only one of his runs was earned.
 
The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning, when a number of new Jackets contributed to the first victory of the year. However, it was senior centerfielder Clay Roman who got the rally started with a leadoff single. The second-team all-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) then stole second base to move into scoring position.
 
Freshman designated hitter Jonathon Kletzli drove in his new team's first run of the year on a single that plated Roman and cut La Roche's lead in half at 2-1. Kletzli was erased from the base pads when freshman third baseman Luke Carter grounded into a fielder's choice. Carter moved to second base when sophomore first baseman Matt Bensinger walked.
 
Waynesburg tied the game at 2-2 when junior leftfielder Ben Shorthouse singled Carter home and moved Bensinger up 90 feet. Freshman pinch-hitter Justin Davey pitch-hit for catcher Marc Timmons and came through with a two-run double in his first Yellow Jacket at-bat that put Waynesburg up 4-2. Junior outfielder Kyle Weyand pinch-ran for Davey and after La Roche picked up the second out of the inning, freshman shortstop Nathan Mori slapped a two-out RBI single to extend the Orange and Black's advantage to 5-2. Mori moved up to third base on an error, but was unable to advance the final 90 feet to score.
 
The five-run frame was more than enough support for sophomore Brian Resnik, who replaced Beatty in the top of the fourth inning. Resnik scattered five singles over four innings of work to keep the Hawks from adding to their run total.
 
The Jackets carried the momentum from the victory over into game two and struck first in the late contest when Mori scored on an error in the third inning. Carter moved from third to the pitcher's mound to get the start and retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced to stake his team to a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
La Roche got to the young hurler in the fourth for two runs, one of which was earned, on a single, a walk and an error. The Jackets looked poised to tie the game or regain the lead after junior third baseman Jordan Truscott walked and advanced to third base on a Mori double. Unfortunately, the Redhawks picked up back-to-back outs to stop the Waynesburg rally.
 
The Hawks extended their lead to 4-1 with a two-spot in the bottom of the fifth, before Waynesburg posted its final run of the day in the top of the sixth, when freshman catcher Josh Hausler doubled in Shorthouse to make the score 4-2. La Roche ended the scoring with two more runs in the bottom of the inning.
 
Carter took the loss on the mound after working five innings and giving up four runs, three of which were earned, on three hits and a walk. The first-year hurler notched two strikeouts on the day. Freshman Colton Lippencott, a Waynesburg native, tossed one inning of relief and gave up the final two runs of the game.
 
Shorthouse and Mori collected three hits and an RBI each over the split, while Shorthouse scored two runs. Roman went two-for-seven with two stolen bases.
 
After having its scheduled home opener moved to Beckley, W.Va., Waynesburg will hope the weather is more cooperative for its home doubleheader against Pitt Greensburg, which is scheduled for Wednesday, March 5. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.