WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 30) – The Waynesburg University softball team split a pair of tightly contested Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) games on Monday. The Yellow Jackets fell 5-4 to Thiel in game one of the doubleheader, but rebounded with a 4-3 comeback victory over the Tomcats in game two.
The win was the first conference triumph for first-year Jacket (7-11, 1-1) head coach
Richele Hall. It also ended Waynesburg's five-game losing streak to Thiel (8-6, 1-1).
The Jackets opened the day's scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore
Demi Lewin walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman
Amanda Brown. Two batters later, Waynesburg got an assist from the Tomcats on an error during senior
Haley Payne's first at-bat of the day that allowed Lewin to score an unearned run.
Thiel tied the score with a run in the top of the third inning, before taking a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth. The visiting team ultimately put the game away with a three-spot in the sixth, but Waynesburg rallied in the bottom of the frame to keep things interesting.
The Jackets got things rolling with a leadoff double from Payne. Sophomore
Mackenzie Smith followed by reaching base on an error. Sophomore
Ashley Demarco loaded the bases with a single. After Payne was erased from the base paths by a fielder's choice, junior
Jessica Dorazio came through a two-run single that cut the Waynesburg deficit to 5-3. Junior
Katey Potopenko kept things rolling with a pinch-hit walk. Lewin followed with a run-scoring base hit that made the score 5-4 with runners on second and third bases, respectively. Unfortunately, the rally came up one run shy of tying the score as the next two batters were retired.
After putting down the Tomcats in order in the top of the seventh, Waynesburg was once again able to put runners on second and third with one out on the board. Unfortunately, the Jackets were unable to push the game-tying run across home plate.
Junior pitcher
Stephanie Kotomski started in the circle and allowed four runs, only two of which were earned, over 5.2 innings. She gave up 10 hits and struck out one. Junior
Cameron Grimes suffered the loss in relief after giving up the game-deciding run on three hits over 1.1 innings of work.
Things started slowly for Waynesburg in the late contest, as Thiel jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Tomcats maintained the advantage until the bottom of the fifth inning when Grimes singled in Demarco to make the score 3-1.
The Jacket defense and pitching combined to keep the opposition off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game. The Waynesburg bats made the fine glove work pay off in the bottom of the seventh, when the Orange and Black not only tied the game up, but walked off with the win.
A pair of Thiel errors helped the Yellow Jackets load the bases with one out on the board. Senior
Emily Sorton made the miscues hurt with a game-tying, two-run single that knotted the score at 3-3. After a strikeout produced out number two, Waynesburg was able to snatch away the win when Lewin sprinted home on a wild pitch.
Grimes bounced back from her game-one loss in relief by giving up just one hit over 1.2 innings of work to score the victory. She allowed just one hit and struck out one, while not walking a batter. Payne got the start in the circle and allowed three runs on five hits and four walks over 5.1 innings of work.
Dorazio went a team-best four-for-seven at the plate during the split with two RBI and a run scored to pace the Waynesburg offense. Sorton also drove in a pair of scores while collecting three hits in six at-bats.
The Jackets are back in action on Wednesday, April 1, when they travel to Thomas More for a PAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
