Box Score WASHINGTON, Pa. (May 8) – The Waynesburg University baseball team made its first appearance in the four-team Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) baseball playoffs since 2005 on Thursday at Washington & Jefferson College's Ross Memorial Park. The fourth-seeded Yellow Jackets faced off with the top seeded hosts and fell by the final score of 14-4.
The loss dropped the Yellow Jackets (17-24) into tomorrow's elimination game against third-seeded Bethany College, which fell 14-5 to second-seeded Thomas More. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be preceded by a showdown between W&J (28-13) and Thomas More at 12 p.m.
The first inning belonged to the starting pitchers, as Waynesburg sophomore
Brian Resnik matched a one-two-three inning put up by President senior Eddie Nogay. Unfortunately, W&J eventually got to Resnik with a two-run homer in the second inning and a five-spot in the fifth, which included a three-run blast, to take a 7-0 lead into the sixth. The two long balls were the first given up by Resnik all season.
The Jackets responded to the defending PAC champions' with a run in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh to cut their deficit down to just three runs (7-4) going into the seventh-inning stretch. Freshman shortstop Nathah Mori plated junior right fielder
Eric Crum to break up the shutout in the sixth.
After freshman relief pitcher
Colton Lippencott put together a scoreless bottom of the frame, the Jackets loaded the bases after surrendering the first two outs of the seventh. Junior second baseman
Neal Yakopin got things going with a single and moved to second base on a Crum base knock. Mori was hit by a pitch to load the bases and bring freshman designated hitter
Jonathon Kletzli to the plate. Kletzli sent a towering fly ball to the outfield that was mishandled by the W&J leftfielder and fell in for a two-base error that sent all three Jacket base-runners home.
Unfortunately, the Presidents didn't seem rattled by the three-run blunder and responded with two scores in the bottom of the seventh to retake a five-run lead at 9-4. W&J sealed up the victory with a five-spot in the eighth inning.
Resnik suffered the loss in a matchup of two of the best pitcher in the PAC after giving up seven earned runs over 4.1 innings on eight hits and a walk. The Burgettstown, Pa. native struck out four Presidents in the loss and was the first of six Jacket pitchers to take the mound on the day.
Crum, Kletzli and junior third baseman
Jordan Truscott connected on two hits each for the Jackets. Crum also scored a team-high two runs. To follow all of the PAC championship action, go to www.pacathletics.org.
