WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 21) – The Waynesburg University baseball team got the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) portion of its 2019 schedule off to a memorable start when it hosted Geneva for a nine-inning game on Thursday. The Yellow Jackets got a third-straight dominant start from junior pitcher Mason Miller (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) and backed him up with an explosive offensive performance that all added up to a 23-2 win over the Golden Tornadoes.
 
The Yellow Jackets (7-8, 1-0) scored all the runs they needed for the win in the first inning when they crossed home plate eight times. After Miller faced just four batters in the top of the opening frame, the Waynesburg offense combined four walks with an error and four hits in an efficient performance at the dish.
 
Already leading 4-0 after batting one time through the order, senior third baseman Tyler Reis (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Penn Hills) came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs on the board. Reis lifted a Geneva (4-5, 0-1) pitch high into the overcast sky before the ball found its way into open outfield grass for three more runs. Senior centerfielder Mitch Nordstrom (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) capped the early-inning outburst with the fourth RBI hit of the inning to make the score 8-0.
 
Waynesburg didn't let up on the offensive pressure, even after they began making massive substitutions in the bottom of the sixth. The home team scored twice in the second, once in the third, five times in the fourth, once in the fifth, six times in the fourth and a final two times in the eighth. By the time the final out was recorded, 18 different position players saw action in the win, 10 of which logged at least one base hit. Four more reached the base paths with a walk.  
 
Thursday's 23 runs scored are the most by any PAC team this season and the 21-run margin of victory is the most of any league squad in 2019. The Jackets also logged 17 walks, the most in Waynesburg history since before 2003. The day's run output is also the highest in a single game since 2003.
 
Four different Jackets scored three runs each as part of a true team effort, while a total of 13 players scored at least once in the victory. Junior Justin Buberl (Westminster, Md. / Westminster), senior Tyler Godwin (Bridgeville, Pa. / South Fayette) and senior Alec Fantaskey (Williamsport, Pa. / Williamsport) all tallied three RBI each on the day. The trio was part of a group of 11 Yellow Jackets to log at least one run driven in on the afternoon.
 
All of these impressive offensive numbers seemed almost wasted thanks to a superb effort by the Waynesburg pitching staff. Miller led the charge on his way to improve to 3-0 in three starts by tossing six shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out six opposing batters. Miller now boasts a PAC-best 29 punchouts for the spring. His 0.45 ERA is third best in the league, as is his .169 opposing batting average.
 
Freshman Seth McCroskey (Morgantown, W.Va. / Trinity Christian) and Chris Agnew (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour) worked innings seven and eight, respectively, before turning the ball over to senior Nate Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon). Gearhart struck out two of the four batters he faced in the ninth to seal up the victory.
 
Waynesburg will try to carry over the momentum from Thursday's resounding win into Saturday's doubleheader at Geneva. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 1 p.m.