Box Score CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (May 7) – The Waynesburg University baseball team fell behind early, but showed its mettle by scoring seven unanswered runs against Thiel in the first game of the 2015 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament. The offensive resurgence was enough for starting pitcher Brian Resnik to put the game away, which resulted in a 7-4 victory for the Yellow Jackets.
 
With the win, Waynesburg (21-16-1) moves on to face fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson, which defeated top-seeded Thomas More 6-5. The victory was the second-seeded Yellow Jackets' fourth-straight over the third-seeded Tomcats (28-13) this season.
 
Thiel managed to jump on Resnik early for two runs in the first inning and two more in the third to build its 4-0 advantage. From that point on, however, the junior shut down the potent Tomcat bats and allowed just two hits, both singles, over his final seven innings of work. Just one Thiel base-runner got into scoring position over those final 21 outs.
 
The Jackets began their comeback in the bottom of the fourth with a single by sophomore shortstop Nathan Mori, who stole second during the ensuing at-bat. That same at-bat saw junior first baseman Matt Bensinger walk to put two runners on with nobody out. Waynesburg loaded the bases thanks to a single by sophomore designated hitter Jonathon Kletzli. Two batters later, senior centerfielder Kyle Weyand broke up the shutout with a single through the right side of the infield that scored Mori.
 
Sophomore catcher Ben Miller reached on an infield single to reload the bases with two outs. Run number two in the frame came across home plate thanks to an error during the at-bat of senior right fielder Eric Crum, making the score 4-2. Thiel picked up the third out of the inning to slow the rally.
 
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Jackets tied the contest with a two-spot in the sixth. Sophomore third baseman Cameron Bernhardt led things off with a single and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Weyand. A Miller single put Bernardt at third and Crum was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Thiel looked prime to escape the inning after recording out number two, but senior leftfielder Ben Shorthouse smacked a two-run single back past Thiel's starting pitcher to tie the score at 4-4.
 
Waynesburg compiled the rest of its offense in the seventh, when they sent seven players to the plate and caused the Tomcats to make two pitching changes. Bensinger led off with a single and a stolen base, before Kletzli walked to put runners on first and second. Two batters later, Weyand received a free pass to load the bases with one out. The eventual game-winning run came home by way of a walk to Miler that made the score 5-4.
 
The Orange and Black got some much needed insurance when Crum slapped a single down the leftfield line that allowed Weyand and Bernhardt to sprint home with runs six and seven on the day. A double play kept the Jackets from doing any more damage, but the scoring they were able to accomplish was more than enough help for Resnik, who improved to 9-2 on the season.
 
After giving up a leadoff single in the eighth, the junior ace retired the final six hitters of the game, four by strikeout. Resnik closed out the win in style by striking out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to punch Waynesburg's ticket into tomorrow morning's game.
 
Shorthouse, Bernhardt and Miller all collected two hits each in an 11-knock effort by the Jacket offense. Kletzli and Bernhardt tied for the game lead with two runs scored each, while Shorthouse and Crum tied for the game lead with two RBI each.
 
During his sixth complete game of the year, Resnik allowed three earned runs on nine hits and one walk, while striking out seven opposing hitters. For more information on the 2015 PAC tournament, click here.