Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 1) – The Waynesburg University baseball team continued its strong start to the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) portion of its schedule during Tuesday's home doubleheader against Thiel College. Playing under warm, sun-drenched conditions, the Yellow Jackets swept the Tomcats by the final scores of 7-2 and 4-3.
 
The Jackets (8-12, 4-1), who have won four of their last five games, combined a fine mound performance from sophomore pitcher Brian Resnik, some timely , effective hitting and four Tomcat (6-11, 0-7) errors to take game one. After a scoreless first inning, the home team took a 2-0 lead on just two hits. Freshman designated hitter Jonathon Kletzli got the frame going with a leadoff double and moved up to third base on a failed pickoff attempt. Two batters later, freshman shortstop Nathan Mori reached base on a fielder's choice that included a throw home that missed the Thiel catcher and allowed Kletzli to score the game's first run. After a single by freshman third baseman Luke Cater moved Mori to third, senior catcher Marc Timmons smacked a sacrifice fly to center field that doubled the home team's advantage.
 
The Jacket lead grew to 3-0 an inning later after sophomore right fielder Eric Crum led off with a triple and scored on another Tomcat error two batters later. The visiting team got on the board during the top of the fourth frame, but Waynesburg snuffed out the Thiel momentum in the bottom of the inning.
 
The Orange and Black loaded the bases with no outs after Carter was hit by a pitch, Timmons walked and junior second baseman Neal Yakopin took first on a fielder's choice. Crum made the score 4-1 when he lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that pushed Carter across home plate. Junior leftfielder Ben Shorthouse followed Crum's lead by connecting on a sacrifice fly of his own that plated Timmons.
 
Already up 5-1, Waynesburg pulled further away from the Blue and Gold when freshman pinch-hitter Jason Poland drew a bases-loaded walk that scored sophomore first baseman Matt Bensinger in the bottom of the fifth. Kletzli finished his team's scoring with a bang by teeing off on an opposite-field solo homerun that made the score 7-1 in the sixth. Thiel managed a run in the seventh, but that was as far as the visitors came to a big time comeback.
 
Resnik logged 101 pitches en route to his third win on the year (3-3). His third complete game of 2014 featured him giving up two runs on nine hits and two walks. The second-year standout also notched two strikeouts.
 
Kletzli led the Waynesburg bats with a two-for-four effort that included an RBI and two runs scored. While the Tomcats struggled with their gloves, the Orange and Black didn't commit an error in the opener.
 
Game two got off to a very different start for the Yellow Jackets, who trailed the Cats 2-0 after giving up a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Waynesburg fired back in the bottom of the third to tie the score at 2-2.
 
Yakopin led off the frame with a walk and proceeded to steal second base before being doubled in by Crum. Carter followed with a double of his own during the ensuing at-bat to tie the game at 2-2. Two innings later, the Jackets took the lead and added the eventual game-winning tally to complete the sweep.
 
Shorthouse got things going with a one-out single before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Once again, Thiel helped its opposition out by committing a run-producing error during Mori's at-bat that gave the Jackets a 3-2 edge. Two batters later, Crum doubled in Mori to produce Waynesburg's fourth-straight run.
 
The Tomcats picked up their final run of the game on a fifth-inning homer that sliced Waynesburg's lead in half at 4-3. Thiel threatened to tie things up in both the sixth and seventh innings, but sophomore pitcher Derrick Zavatsky came out of the bullpen to close out the win.
 
Zavatsky logged his second save of the season after allowing just one hit over 1.1 innings of work. He replaced sophomore Connor Furwa, who improved to 1-1 on the season after compiling 5.2 innings of work. Furwa allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk.
 
Crum led the Jackets at the plate by going two-for-four with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored. Shorthouse added two hits of his own in three at-bats with a run scored. Waynesburg put together seven more innings of error-free defense in the late contest.
 
Waynesburg will look to continue its hot start in conference play on Friday, April 4, when the Jackets host Geneva for a nine-inning PAC contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.