WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 2) – It was a frustrating day at the park for the Waynesburg University baseball team, which traveled north up I-79 to face Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Washington & Jefferson on Sunday. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning, but saw the number-23 ranked Presidents come all the way back to pick up a 10-7 win.
Both offenses failed to produce any runs during the first two innings of action. The Waynesburg (8-11, 3-5) bats struck first in the top of the third when senior shortstop
Nate Mori scored on a wild pitch. After senior first baseman
Jonathon Kletzli doubled his team's advantage to 2-0 with a sacrifice fly, junior centerfielder
Tyler Godwin connected on a run-scoring triple that made the score 3-0 in favor of the visiting team.
After the Presidents (7-0, 12-3) got one score back in the bottom of the frame, Waynesburg put together another big inning, this one coming in the top of the fourth. Mori started the merry-go-round on the bases with an RBI single. Sophomore second baseman
Tyler Reis followed with his team's biggest hit of the afternoon: a two-run triple that gave the Jackets a 6-1 advantage. Reis eventually sprinted home, thanks to a run-producing groundout by senior designated hitter
Ben Miller.
Unfortunately, at the same time that Waynesburg's bats started cooling off, W&J's started heating up in a big way. The home team scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth, before tying the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth. The Presidents recorded the eventual game-winning score in the sixth, before tacking on two more in the seventh.
Though it came in a losing effort, Mori cranked out a game-high three hits in four at-bats with an RBI and two runs scored. Godwin added a two-for-four effort at the dish.
Senior
Jacob Meyer got the start on the mound and logged a no-decision after allowing six runs, five of which were earned, on eight hits and two walks. Junior
Noah Lolley suffered the loss during his two innings of relief. Lolley allowed two runs, one of which was earned, on three hits and a walk. Senior
Scott Hefty worked the final two innings of the contest.
Waynesburg will play its fourth game in three days on Monday, when it travels to Pitt Greensburg for a nine-inning contest. Start time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
