WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (March 8) – The Waynesburg University baseball team wrapped up its annual trip to the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational by playing two with John Carroll on Friday. After falling in the opener to the Blue Flashes, Junior Mason Miller (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) pitched the Jackets to a win in the late contest.
 
Waynesburg (6-4) dropped the opener 10-3 to JCU (7-2). The Flashes built a 7-0 lead after four innings, before the Jackets played them evenly over the final three frames. Freshman Evan Homison (Mars, Pa. / Mars) connected on a two-run pinch hit single to lead the Jacket offense.
 
Junior Jonny Kutchman (Johnstown, Pa. / Richland) started on the bump and took the loss after 1.1 innings of work. Junior Isaiah Glass (Fairview, Pa. / Fairview) handled the bulk of the relief work, tossing 4.2 innings on the mound. Freshman Seth McCroskey (Morgantown, W.Va. / Trinity Christian) logged the final inning of work.
 
Miller controlled John Carroll throughout the late contest. The 6-5 power righty shut out the opposition over the first four innings. After yielding a run in the fifth, the junior kept the Blue Flashes off the board during the sixth and seventh frames to preserve the win.
 
Miller allowed just six hits, five of which were singles, and didn't walk a batter while ringing up eight strikeouts. He improved to 2-0 on the season with a 0.64 ERA, 23 strikeouts and just three walks over 14.0 innings pitched.
 
Trailing 1-0 going into the top of the seventh, Waynesburg rallied with just enough offense to secure the victory. Junior John Przbylinski (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) led off with a pinch-hit walk and then was run for by junior Vinny Monico (Girard, Pa. / Girard).
 
Freshman right fielder Tanner Hudak (Washington, Pa. / Trinity) was the next batter to come to the plate and reached by an error. After Hudak stole second, both he and Monico advanced a base on a wild pitch, with the latter of the two sprinting home to tie the game.
 
After the Jackets gave up the second out, senior shortstop Alec Fantaskey (Williamsport, Pa. / Williamsport) connected on a go-ahead sacrifice fly that brought Hudak into score with the go-ahead run. A groundout in the next at-bat ended Waynesburg's day at the plate.
 
Miller and his defense closed out the victory. JCU brought five batters to the plate, two of them managed singles, but Waynesburg induced two groundouts and a fly out to seal the win.
 
Junior second baseman Justin Buberl (Westminster, Md. / Westminster) led the Orange and Black offense with a two-for-three outing at the dish that included a double.
 
Waynesburg returns from the sunny south to play its first game of the season at home on Tuesday. The Jackets host Allegheny for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.