WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 24) – After being away from live competition for three weeks, the Waynesburg University softball team finally returned to the diamond for its home opener on Friday. The doubleheader against Pitt Greensburg could only be described as "Jekyll and Hyde" performance, as the Yellow Jackets rebounded from an 11-0 loss in game one with a dominant 11-1 victory in game two.
 
Both games were decided in five innings of play. Waynesburg (3-7) managed to come up with just two hits in the opener and sophomore Cat Allstatt took the loss in the circle after tossing all five innings of the setback. Defensive miscues played a notable role in the final score, as six of the 11 runs given up were of the unearned variety.
 
The late contest was almost a complete 180-degree turnaround from the opener. Sophomore pitcher Courtney Messenger got plenty of offensive support, as Waynesburg cranked out 11 hits, four of which were doubles.
 
UPG (7-7) opened the scoring in game two with an unearned run in the top of the first inning. That score was answered with three Jacket tallies in the bottom of the frame. Waynesburg blew the contest open with six scores on six hits in the bottom of the second. The home team closed things out with a run in the third and one more in the fourth.
 
Messenger spun her best effort in the circle of 2017 in the victory. She gave up four singles and two walks over a five-inning complete game. The second-year righty struck out five Bobcats.
 
Five different Jackets tallied two hits each over the split, including sophomore first baseman Alex Lawrence, who connected on her fifth and sixth doubles of the year. Lawrence recorded three RBI on the day.
 
Freshman Courtney Syfert stole a pair of bases on two attempts, while also going two-for-five with two runs scored. Freshmen Ashley Dubovich and Rachel Skon added two more runs each.
 
Waynesburg is back in action tomorrow with a road trip to Franciscan. First pitch for the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.