WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 16) – The Waynesburg University softball team hosted Bethany on Saturday as the Yellow Jackets celebrated senior day. After falling 6-1 in game one, Waynesburg bounced back with a 1-0 win in the late contest to earn the split.
 
The Jacket (14-18, 5-5) bats were held silent for the majority of the opener, before finally breaking up the shutout in the bottom of the seventh inning. Trailing 6-0, the home team loaded the bases with two outs on the board. Senior centerfielder Jessica Dorazio drove a Bethany (12-16, 4-4) pitch back up the middle of the field to plate freshman first baseman Alex Lawrence. Unfortunately, that's as far as Waynesburg's comeback attempt came to sending the opener into extra innings.
 
Senior Stephanie Kotomski got the start and pitched all seven innings. She allowed six runs, five of which were earned, on 11 hits. She didn't walk a batter and piled up five strikeouts in the loss. Four different Jackets recorded one hit each in game one.
 
Freshman Courtney Messenger gave Saturday's four honorees a fantastic senior day present by twirling a complete-game shutout in game two. The rookie standout improved to 9-8 on the season after allowing four hits and no walks over seven innings. She struck out six Bison and got out of a major jam in the top of the sixth. After giving up a one-out triple, Messenger induced a fielder's choice force play at home plate to erase the runner. She put the finishing touches on the inning with a clutch strikeout.
 
Messenger's offensive support came in the form of a fourth-inning RBI single by junior catcher Mackenzie Smith. The clutch knock allowed Kotomski, who was serving as a pinch-runner, to sprint home with the eventual game-deciding tally.
 
Waynesburg returns to the diamond on Wednesday, April  20, with a road doubleheader at Westminster. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.