WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 8) – The Waynesburg University softball team hosted Saint Vincent for a chilly Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader on Sunday. Offense dominated the day as the two teams split the conference twin bill.
 
Waynesburg (8-10, 1-3) outslugged the Bearcats (14-4, 5-1) 11-10 in the opener to hand the visiting team its first PAC loss of the season. SVC bounced back for a 19-2 victory in the late contest.
 
The Bearcats opened game one with a two-spot in the top of the first inning to grab the early advantage. However, Waynesburg put together maybe its best inning of the plate in 2018 when it exploded for a six-spot in the bottom of the opening frame.
 
Sophomore Ashley Dubovich got her team on the board with an RBI double. The next batter, junior first baseman Alex Lawrence, teed off on a go-ahead two-run homerun that gave the Orange and Black an early 3-2 edge.
 
After freshman Tara Staley walked and sophomore Rachel Skon singled, sophomore Cheyenne Wasko produced a run-scoring double that made the score 4-2. Two batters later, freshman right fielder Marlee Ott capped her team's hot start with a two-run single that expanded Waynesburg's advantage to 6-2.
 
Saint Vincent rebounded to tie the game after plating four runs in the second and regained its lead (7-6) with a tally in the third. The advantage was short-lived thanks to a run-scoring single from Ott that knotted the score at 7-7 in the third.
 
Momentum swung back to the visitors after a run came home in the fourth to give the Bearcats an 8-7 lead, but the Jacket offense once again rose to the challenge in its half of the frame. Wasko and Ott both came through with run-scoring singles to give Waynesburg a 9-8 edge. Skon took advantage of a crucial SVC error that allowed her to score during the at-bat of sophomore Courtney Syfert that ran the score to 10-8. Junior Cat Allstatt showed some outstanding fundamentals by lifting a sacrifice fly to centerfield that pushed Wasko across home plate with the eventual game-winning run.
 
The two teams' explosive offenses took a brief two-inning hiatus before SVC made a run at a comeback in the seventh with a pair of scores that trimmed its deficit to a single run. However, junior pitcher Courtney Messenger was finally able to end the wild opener with a two-out ground ball after the Bearcats put the tying run on second base.
 
Ott put together her best game as a collegian by going three-for-four with a game-high four RBI. Wasko also went three-for-four with two RBI and two runs scored. Skon, Dubovich, Staley and Lawrence collected two hits each in the victory.
 
Messenger weathered a turbulent seven innings in the circle to pick up the decision. She allowed eight earned runs on 19 hits and no walks.
 
After allowing a run in the top of the first inning of game two, Waynesburg took an early 2-1 edge thanks to a two-run single by Staley in the bottom of the frame. After neither team scored in the second, the Bearcats took a lead it never relinquished after posting four runs in the top of the third. SVC added six runs in the fourth and eight more in the fifth to close out the win.
 
Allstatt picked up two of her team's four hits in game two. Staley and Skon also singled in the loss.
 
Freshman Emma Kubalak started and took the loss after pitching four innings. She gave up 13 runs, seven of which were earned, on 11 hits and four walks.
 
Sunday began a six-day stretch over which Waynesburg is scheduled to play five doubleheaders. The Jackets hit the road tomorrow for two games at Grove City. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.