BETHANY, W.Va. (April 18) – The Waynesburg University baseball team traveled to Bethany for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets suffered a heart-breaking 4-3 loss in game one, but bounced back with an 11-2 victory in game two.
Waynesburg (12-17, 6-8) and Bethany (11-19-1, 6-11) were tied at 2-2 going into the top of the seventh inning of game one. Freshman right fielder
Mitch Nordstrom singled in freshman pinch-runner
Vinny Monico to put the visiting team ahead 3-2. Unfortunately, freshman pitcher
Mason Miller and the Jacket defense couldn't hold the slim advantage, as Bethany strung together three-straight one-out hits to pull out the walk-off victory.
Miller took the loss in relief after senior
Scott Hefty tossed a scoreless sixth inning out of the bullpen. Hefty replaced starting pitcher
Luke Carter, who was solid over a five-inning start. Carter allowed two runs on four hits, walked four and struck out four more in the no-decision.
The late contest got off to a much different start for the Jackets, who jumped out to an insurmountable 6-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Second baseman
Tyler Reis continued to build upon a monster sophomore season by drilling a two-run triple that plated seniors
Nate Mori and
Josh Hausler. Two batters later, Reis scored the eventual game-winning run on a groundout by senior first baseman
Jonathon Kletzli.
Senior catcher
Ben Miller added an RBI single in Waynesburg's quick start. The frame's final two scores came on a costly Bethany error. By the time the dust had settled, 11 Yellow Jackets came to the plate against a pair of Bethany pitchers.
The Bison scored their first run in the bottom of the second, but the Orange and Black responded with a score in the third, one in the fourth and a two-spot in the fifth that gave the visitors a 10-1 advantage. The final Waynesburg run of the day came in the form of a Reis homerun in the top of the sixth inning.
Senior pitcher
Jacob Meyer made good use of Waynesburg's productive bats by logging his first complete-game victory of the season. Meyer allowed two earned runs on eight singles and two walks. The veteran righty struck out six opposing hitters as he improved to 2-2 on the season.
Reis was a force at the plate for Waynesburg. He went four-for-seven with two homeruns, a triple, four RBI and three runs scored. Reis continues to lead the PAC in homeruns with nine. He also leads the league in hits (43) and total bases (83).
Nordstrom also went four-for-seven with an RBI and two runs scored, while junior outfielder
Tyler Godwin posted a two-for-five day with a double and his conference-leading 23
rd walk.
Waynesburg is back in action on Friday, April 21, when it hosts Saint Vincent for a nine-inning PAC contest. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown for 3 p.m. The Jackets trail SVC by one game for the fourth spot in the PAC. The top-four teams in the conference qualify for the league's postseason tournament.