PITTSBURGH, Pa. (April 2) – The Waynesburg University softball team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play on Sunday with a road doubleheader at Chatham. The Yellow Jackets picked a great time to snap a four-game winless streak, as they swept the Cougars.
Waynesburg (6-11-1, 2-0) rolled to a 7-2 win in game one, before holding on to pull out a 7-6 triumph in game two. The sweep of the Cougars (3-12, 0-2) marks the first time this year that the Jackets have won back-to-back games.
After a scoreless first inning, the visiting offense went off for seven-straight runs. Sophomore pitcher
Courtney Messenger got things going with an RBI single in the second inning. After a sacrifice fly doubled the score to 2-0, freshman centerfielder
Courtney Syfert came through with the big hit of the frame: a two-run single that made the score 4-0 in favor of the visiting team.
Waynesburg made it 6-0 in the third thanks in large part to sophomore first baseman
Alex Lawrence. After doubling in her team's fifth run of the day, the slugging second-year infielder sprinted home on a sacrifice fly by freshman third baseman
Cheyenne Wasko.
The Jackets notched their final score of the opener in the fourth frame when sophomore leftfielder
Cat Allstatt doubled home senior designated hitter
Mackenzie Smith.
Chatham started to rally in the sixth, when it plated both of its runs of the opener.
Eight of the nine hitters in the Waynesburg batting order notched at least one hit each in the win. Wasko and Syfert both logged a pair of base knocks in the victory.
Game two got off to a slow start, but ended in a wild offensive flurry. After two scoreless innings, Syfert opened the scoring with a third-inning RBI double. Chatham took its first lead of the doubleheader after scoring a run each in the fourth and fifth innings.
The Jackets tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth when freshman right fielder
Rachel Skon doubled in Lawrence. The Orange and Black offense hit its stride in the seventh inning when it put up a four-spot that ultimately decided the final outcome.
Allstat and sophomore shortstop
Keri Renzler both came up with RBI singles to give the Jackets a 4-2 edge. Lawrence came through with a clutch two-run double that doubled her team's advantage to 6-2, before Wasko brought her home with a single into right field that wound up being the game-winning score.
Chatham responded with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Cougars had a runner on second base with two outs on the board, but Waynesburg held on for the win.
Messenger proved to be a true workhorse for Waynesburg. She logged both pitching victories after logging all 14 innings in the circle. The sophomore is now 6-3 on the year.
Wasko and Syfert both collected four hits each to pace the Jacket offense. They both doubled and notched two RBI each.
Lawrence went three-for-eight with three doubles, three RBI and a team-high four runs scored. The Pittsburgh native boasts a PAC-best 13 doubles.
The Jackets are back in action on Wednesday, April 5, when they host Thiel for a PAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
