WAYNESBURG, Pa (March 23) – A ninth-inning homerun capped a wild baseball game between Waynesburg University and Pitt Greensburg on Monday. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a big lead, but needed the late-inning heroics to survive for an 11-11 final score.
The Bobcats (6-5-1) opened up the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning, before Waynesburg (3-10-1) answered in a big way with seven runs in the bottom of the frame. The Jackets combined four walks with four base hits in the frame. Sophomore first baseman
Jonathon Kletzli ripped a two-run double, while sophomore third baseman
Cameron Bernhardt and senior leftfielder
Ben Shorthouse chipped in an RBI single each.
Waynesburg added to its 7-1 advantage in the bottom of the fourth, when junior centerfielder
Matt Bensinger doubled in senior right fielder
Eric Crum to stretch the lead to 8-1. UPG cut into the deficit with a run in the top of the sixth. However, the home team got the score right back in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Kletzli single that plated sophomore shortstop
Nathan Mori.
Momentum took a big swing into Pitt Greensburg's favor thanks to a seven-run top of the seventh. The Jackets regained the lead in the bottom of the inning, when senior second baseman
Neal Yakopin singled home Bernhardt to make the score 10-9.
Waynesburg managed to keep its one-score edge until the top of the ninth, when the Bobcats regained the advantage (11-10) with a two-spot. Just when it looked like UPG was going to steal away a win on the road, sophomore catcher
Ben Miller blasted his second homerun of the season, a solo shot over the left field fence, to tie things up at 11-11. Bernhardt was hit by a pitch to put the potential game-winning run on base, but Greensburg notched back-to-back outs to preserve the tie.
The game was called due to darkness after the third out was recorded in the ninth.
Mori, Bensinger and Kletzli put up a team-high two hits each on the day. Kletzli added a game-high three RBI, while four different Jackets scored two runs each.
Senior pitcher
Zach Kreke got the start on the mound and put together six solid innings of work. He allowed two earned runs on six hits and four walks. Kreke struck out five Bobcats on the day. Junior
Derrick Zavatsky, sophomore
Colton Lippencott and junior
Connor Furwa also saw time on the mound.
Waynesburg returns to action on Tuesday, March 24, when it travels to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader at Saint Vincent College. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
