PITTSBURGH, Pa. (April 1) – The Waynesburg University baseball team emphatically broke out of a 13-game losing streak during Friday's road doubleheader at La Roche. The Yellow Jackets put together arguably their best game of the season during an 11-1 victory over the Redhawks in the early contest. La Roche bounced back with a 4-2 win in game two.
The Jackets (2-15) got the day off to a fast start by building a 5-0 lead in game one. Sophomore left fielder
Tyler Godwin continued a fine first season at Waynesburg by tripling in junior center fielder
Josh Hausler for the day's first run. Senior first baseman
Matt Bensinger followed in the ensuing at-bat by driving home Godwin with a run-scoring single.
Waynesburg doubled its advantage to 4-0 in the top of the second thanks to a two-run double from Bensinger that plated Hausler and Godwin. After a scoreless third inning, the Jacket lead stretched to 5-0 on an RBI single by junior designated hitter
Jonathon Kletzli.
La Roche (15-7) broke up the shutout with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Jackets were poised to respond in a big way.
Waynesburg pushed five runs across home plate in the fifth on three hits and several costly miscues by the home team. With the bases loaded, junior shortstop
Nathan Mori singled home senior catcher
Tyler Rubasky to make the score 6-1. Hausler contributed to his team's seventh run of the game with a run-scoring single that allowed freshman second baseman
Tyler Reis to sprint home. After Bensinger drew a bases-loaded walk that made the score 8-1, freshman right fielder
Eli Kucherawy connected on a two-run single that capped the surge.
The visitors put the final touches on the game-one triumph, when Hausler scored on a Kletzli groundout in the seventh. The Orange and Black out-hit the opposition by a 13-to-five margin.
Senior ace
Brian Resnik reverted to the form that earned him 2015 co-PAC Pitcher of the Year laurels. He scattered five singles and one walk, while allowing just unearned run. Resnik struck out five Redhawks in the win.
Game two again saw the Jackets take an early lead. Kletzli singled home Hausler in the top of the first to put Waynesburg ahead 1-0. Unfortunately, La Roche responded with three runs in the first and a fourth in the second to go ahead 4-1.
Pitching and defense took center stage over innings three, four and five, before Waynesburg was finally able to rediscover its offensive rhythm. Kucherawy pulled the Jackets to within two (4-2) when he scored on an error. Unfortunately, a double play ended the Orange and Black rally in the sixth. Waynesburg put two batters on base in the seventh, but a bizarre triple play slammed the door on the comeback attempt.
Waynesburg took the loss, despite out-hitting the opposition eight to seven. Mori and Kletzli recorded two hits each in game two. Junior
Luke Carter suffered the loss on the mound, despite a solid pitching performance. He gave up four runs, all earned, on seven hits and no walks.
The Jackets will try to carry their momentum from one of their best days on the diamond over to Wednesday's PAC home doubleheader with Bethany. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
