WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 30) – The Waynesburg University softball team hosted Franciscan for a home doubleheader on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets walked off with a 5-4 win in game one, but fell 9-3 in the late contest.
 
The Barons (5-9) grabbed an early 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first. Waynesburg (9-9) wasted little time in answering back with a two-spot in the bottom of the frame. Senior Kayla Alderson (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) opened an extremely productive contest by coming through in the clutch with a two-out, two-run single that gave the home team a 2-1 edge.
 
Two innings later, Waynesburg pieced together two more scores to go ahead 4-1. Sophomore Reghan Benschoter (Newark, Ohio / Granville) sprinted home from third on a wild pitch for the Jackets' third run of the day. With a runner on third and one out on the board, Alderson came through in a big spot again with an RBI ground out that sent freshman Emma Bliss (Uniontown, Pa. / Laurel Highlands) home to grow the Yellow Jacket advantage to three runs.
 
The home team maintained its three-run lead until top of the fifth, when a pair of errors played a big role in Franciscan tying the game at 4-4. After a scoreless sixth, the Jacket defense kept Franciscan off the board in the top of the seventh to set up for a dramatic ending in the bottom of the frame.
 
After Benschoter drew a one-out walk, she was retired in a fielder's choice that allowed Bliss to take her place at first. Bliss was replaced by pinch-runner Alayna McKay (Cochranton, Pa. / Cochranton), who moved to second after freshman Ella Brookman (Washington, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) walked to put two runners on with one out.
 
Alderson was put in another pressure situation at the plate and came through again, this time connecting on a walk-off single that brought McKay home for the winning run.
 
Alderson went two-for-four at the plate with a game-high four RBI's to power the Jacket offense. Five other Waynesburg players logged one hit each. The Jackets' patience at the plate paid off to the tune of seven walks.
 
Senior pitcher Emma Kubalak (Spring Mills, Pa. / Penns Valley) managed to scatter 10 hits over a complete-game effort to pick up the win in the circle. Only one of the four runs she allowed was earned. She didn't walk a batter in her most recent victory.
 
The Jackets looked primed to complete the sweep after getting out to a 2-0 lead in game two. Sophomore Lauren Lober (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) singled home Brookman in the bottom of the second inning to open the scoring. The Orange and Black was able to manufacture another run when Benschoter fouled out to right field allowing sophomore Brin Hunter (West Alexander, Pa. / McGuffey) to come home and make the score 2-0.
 
For a second-straight game, Franciscan was able to take advantage of some defensive miscues to put runs on the board. An error in the fourth inning led to four unearned runs and a 4-2 Franciscan lead.
 
Waynesburg responded in the bottom of the frame when freshman Kayla Gratton (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) came through with a two-out RBI single that made the score 4-3.
 
The Jackets kept their deficit at one through the fifth and sixth innings. However, a Franciscan grand slam in the top of the seventh blew a close game open at 8-3. The visitors tacked on one more score before heading back to the dugout.
 
The Jackets were retired in order in the bottom of the seventh to close out the day.
 
Hunter produced two of her team's five hits in game two. She also doubled and stole a base in the late contest.
 
Freshman Kara May (Indian Head, Pa. / Connellsville) got the start and suffered the loss after allowing four runs, all of them unearned, on four hits and a walk over 4.1 innings of work.