GREENVILLE, Pa. (April 4) – The Waynesburg University baseball completed what could be an important three-game sweep of Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Thiel on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Tomcats by the final scores of 7-6 and 6-4.  
 
With the pair of weekend victories, Waynesburg (8-11-1, 6-2) moved into second place in the PAC standings. Thiel (16-7, 6-5) dropped into fourth place in the conference after being unable to hold leads in all three of this year's matchups with the Jackets. Saturday's victory marked the first time Waynesburg has swept a regular season series from the Tomcats since before 2002.
 
Game one saw the visiting team score in its first set of at-bats. The Yellow Jackets took advantage of some control problems from the opposition as four Waynesburg batters walked in the inning. The final free pass, which was issued to sophomore shortstop Nathan Mori, allowed junior catcher Tyler Rubasky to trot home with the first run of the game. The visiting team's lead was short-lived, as Thiel tied the score in the bottom of the inning.
 
Following two scoreless frames, Thiel seemed poised to put the game away after posting a three-spot in the bottom of the fourth and scoring two more times in the fifth. Facing a 6-1 deficit with just two innings remaining, Waynesburg found its offensive rhythm in the sixth frame and scored the eventual game-winning runs.
 
After the first three batters reached base safely, senior second baseman Neal Yakopin lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to make the score 6-2. After reloading the bases thanks to a Rubasky single, junior centerfielder Matt Bensinger worked a walk that trimmed the deficit to 6-3. Following a pitching change, sophomore first baseman Jonathon Kletzli connected on the inning's big hit, a two-run double, to make the score 6-5 Thiel. Sophomore third baseman Cameron Bernhardt tied the game up with an RBI single, and Waynesburg regained the lead (7-6) on a single by Mori.
 
The Tomcats managed to put a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth inning, but sophomore pitcher Parker Beatty halted the rally with a popup on the infield. After both teams went down in order in the seventh, Waynesburg clinched a series win over Thiel.
 
Beatty won his second decision in relief in as many games after tossing 2.1 innings of hitless relief. He gave up just two walks and struck out one while moving to 2-1 on the year. The lefty relieved sophomore starter Luke Carter, who took a no-decision after giving up six runs, five of which were earned, on 10 hits over 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out one.
 
The Jackets jumped out to another early lead after scoring in their opening at-bats for the second time on the day. RBI singles by Bensinger and junior designated hitter Brent Williams put the visiting team ahead 2-0 after the top of the first inning. The Tomcats answered by shutting down the Jacket bats over the next five innings and plating runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings, respectively, to take a 3-2 lead.
 
Once again, Waynesburg was able to rally late and steal away a win from the host squad, this time doing so with a four-spot in the top of the seventh frame. After his teammates managed to load the bases, sophomore catcher Ben Miller came through in a big way by driving a three-run double into left-center field that put the visitors back in the lead at 5-3. Senior leftfielder Ben Shorthouse added an insurance run by singling home Miller.
 
Though Thiel was able to score once in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Waynesburg bullpen was able to close things down to seal up the victory.
 
Sophomore Jacob Meyer started on the hill for the Orange and pitched well enough to earn the victory. He allowed three runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits and a walk over five innings in a no-decision effort. Freshman Brandon Lawless notched his first collegiate win after giving up a run on two hits over an inning of work. Junior Derrick Zavatsky looked impressive while collecting the save. He retired all three batters he faced in the seventh with two strikeouts.
 
A balanced Waynesburg offense saw 10 different batters collect at least one hit during Saturdays twin-bill. Shorthouse led the charge by going three-for-six with an RBI and a run scored. Bernhardt, Williams and Kletzli chipped in two hits each for the Jackets, who also helped themselves out by drawing nine walks.
 
Waynesburg, which is now 6-2-1 since coming north from its spring break trip to Florida on March 13, is back in action on Tuesday, April 7, when it travels to Saint Vincent College for a PAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.