WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (March 4) – The Waynesburg University baseball team made its annual journey south to the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational this weekend to open the 2018 season. The Yellow Jackets got the year off on the right foot by sweeping a doubleheader with Penn State Altoona on Sunday.
 
Waynesburg (2-0) opened the day with an 11-9 win and followed that up by coming back to score a 4-3 victory. Sunday's victories marked the first time the Jackets have won on opening day since 2015. Ironically, the Jackets swept a doubleheader against the Lions (0-2) that year.
 
The Orange and Black raced out to a 7-0 lead after two innings in game one, thanks in part to three Altoona errors. To Waynesburg's credit, it also racked up seven hits in the first two frames. Sophomore Vinny Monico went two-for-two with a single, a triple, two RBI and two runs scored during the early surge. Sophomore Justin Buberl went two-for-two with a double, a single, an RBI and two runs scored.
 
The Lions got back into the game with four runs in the top of the third, but the Jackets got two of them back in the bottom of the frame. Monico plated both tallies on a two-run fielder's choice.
 
Three Altoona runs in the fourth and two more in the top of the sixth tied the game at 9-9, but the Waynesburg bats had enough left to regain the lead and pull out the victory. A double by Monico followed by a single from junior Tyler Reis put two runners on for senior Tyler Godwin, who laced a run-scoring single to make the score 10-9. Reis added an insurance run when he scored on a wild pitch.
 
Freshman Tyler Srbinovich managed to lock down the win on the mound. After getting the final out in the sixth, the first-year hurler walked the leadoff batter in the seventh, who moved into scoring position two batters later. However, he logged his first collegiate strikeout to clinch the victory.
 
Sophomore Jonny Kutchman got the start and worked 3.2 innings. He retired the first six batters he faced.
 
Offense was a little tougher to come by in the late contest, as Penn State Altoona took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the opening inning. A wild pitch in the top of the second allowed Kutchman, who played first base in game two, to score the tying run.
 
The Lions regained the lead in the bottom of the second, but a beautifully executed sacrifice bunt by sophomore catcher Tyler Reyes allowed Reis to sprint home, making the score 2-2 in the top of the third. After neither team scored in forth and fifth frames, Waynesburg recorded the game-deciding runs in its half of the sixth.
 
After Monico drove in the go-ahead tally, Buberl singled him home to make the score 4-2. Altoona posted its final run of the day in the bottom of the sixth and then kept the Jackets at bay in the seventh. Srbinovich made his second appearance of the day to record his first collegiate save, just hours after getting his first collegiate win. He allowed one hit and struck out two in the late contest.
 
Another first-year righty, Nate Gearhart, looked strong out of the bullpen. With runners on second and third and just one out on the board in the sixth, he gave up just one run on a groundout and maintained his team's lead.
 
Sophomore Mason Miller got the start and picked up the win on the hill after giving up three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits and four walks. He struck out five Lions in his season debut.
 
Buberl went six-for-eight on the day with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored. Junior Mitch Nordstrom logged three hits in five at-bats with a double and two runs scored.
 
The Jackets return to the diamond tomorrow to play two with Penn State Brandywine. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.