WINTER HAVEN, Fla.  (March 4) – The Waynesburg University baseball team played its second doubleheader in as many days on Monday as part of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The Yellow Jackets split the twin bill with Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
 
The Engineers (3-1) took the opener 4-1, before Waynesburg (2-2) handed them their first loss of the season by a 3-1 final score in game two.
 
WPI struck for a run in the first and a second in the third of game one to pick up all the offense it needed to secure the win. Senior left fielder Tyler Godwin (Bridgeville, Pa. / South Fayette) kept Waynesburg in the opener with an RBI single in the top of the sixth that brought senior third baseman Tyler Reis (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Penn Hills) across home plate.
 
Unfortunately, the Engineers answered with a key two-run single in the bottom of the inning that closed out the victory.
 
Junior Jonny Kutchman (Johnstown, Pa. / Richland) pitched well enough to win, but instead took the hard-luck loss on the mound. He gave up just two runs, both earned, on just four hits and two walks. Senior Nate Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon) worked the final two innings of the early contest.
 
The Waynesburg bats warmed up much more quickly in game two and provided excellent support for senior starting pitcher Ty Wickline (Clarksburg, W.Va. / Liberty) and senior reliever Colton Uzzell, who combined to allow just one run on nine hits and a walk.
 
Wickline got the win after yielding WPI's only run on seven hits over 4.1 innings of work. He didn't walk a batter and logged one strikeout. Uzzell was impressive over his 2.2 frames on the mound. He gave up just two hits and a walk, while striking out two to notch the save.
 
Waynesburg manufactured the late game's first run when junior designated hitter John Przbylinski (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) lifted a sacrifice fly into right field that scored Reis and give his team a 1-0 lead in the first. The eventual game-winning tally came in the third, when junior second baseman Justin Buberl (Westminster, Md. / Westminster) sprinted home after a wild pitch.
 
WPI cut its deficit in half in the fifth, but freshman catcher Tyler Woodrow (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine-Richland) cashed in on another WPI wild pitch that allowed him to score a key insurance run.
 
Six different Waynesburg players produced a hit each in the team's latest victory. Reis added two walks to a one-for-two performance.
 
Waynesburg is back in action on Tuesday, March 5, when it faces Hilbert in another doubleheader. First pitch is set for 9:30 a.m.