LATROBE, Pa. (April 25) – The Waynesburg University baseball team traveled to Saint Vincent for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader with the Bearcats. The Yellow Jackets wrapped up a three-game sweep of Saint Vincent by taking both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday.
Waynesburg (9-16, 7-15) won a thrilling 8-7 opener that went to extra innings, before rolling to an 11-1 triumph in the late contest.
After a scoreless first inning in game one, Saint Vincent (13-13, 12-9) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. The Jackets bounced back with a three-spot in the top of the third to take a one-run advantage. Waynesburg's first run of the day came courtesy of an error during the at-bat of senior
Brandon Durbin (Cresson, Pa. / Bishop Carroll). Two batters later, sophomore
Joe Kraft (Munhall, Pa. / Steel Valley) came through in the clutch with a two-out, two-run go-ahead double.
SVC took the lead back with a two-run bottom of the third, but the momentum swung back to the Jackets in the fourth. Freshman
Mike Bell (Herminie, Pa. / Yough) cracked a two-run single in the fourth that made the score 5-4.
Again, the Bearcats had a quick answer to Waynesburg's challenge, this time recording an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth that tied the score at 5-5. The Jackets quickly grabbed the lead right back in their half of the fifth. Senior
Chris Lee (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) drove in a pair of go-ahead tallies to make the score 7-5.
The thrilling opener took another turn in the sixth, when the home team logged a pair of runs to make the score 7-7. Things stayed knotted up through the seventh, sending the game into extra innings.
Waynesburg's patience and nerve paid off in the top of the eighth as it produced the game-deciding score. After SVC retired the first two Jacket batters, senior
Ryan Mills (Westminster, Md. / Westminster) walked and freshman
Nolan Vertullo (Pittsburgh, Pa. / South Fayette) followed with a single. Bell was intentionally walked to pack the bags for Durbin. The veteran outfielder worked the inning's third free pass to plate Mills with the eventual game winner.
Junior pitcher
Corey Fischer (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Bethel Park) was tasked with closing out the win in the bottom of the frame. Fischer was up to the challenge, striking out two, inducing a flyout and allowing a walk to earn the victory.
Fischer didn't allow a hit over 2.2 innings on the mound. He was the third Yellow Jacket pitcher of the day, joining junior
Cody Ray (St. Clairsville, Ohio / Union Local) and freshman
Ryan Sullivan (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey) in taking the hill.
Both teams collected nine hits in game one, with Waynesburg being led by Bell, who went three-for-four with two RBI's and a run scored. Kraft and senior
Tyler Srbinovich (Warren, Ohio / Niles McKinley) chipped in two hits each in the winning effort.
Waynesburg rode its momentum from game one into the late contest and rolled to one of its most impressive wins of the season. The Jackets flew out of the gate with a four-spot in the top of the first inning. Bell and junior
Tyler Woodrow (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine-Richland) logged an RBI each during the early outburst. The visitors also took advantage of a two-run error.
SVC had another quick answer with a score in the bottom of the frame, but that was as much offense as it was able to produce in game two. Waynesburg, meanwhile, provided more than enough insurance with two runs in the second, two runs in the third and a trio of tallies in the fifth.
Bell completed perhaps the best offensive day of his young collegiate career by going three-for-five in game two with four RBI's and a run scored. Mills, Vertullo and Woodrow also produced three runs each in a 14-hit Waynesburg showing. Mills and Vertullo also scored three times each.
The Jackets used three more pitchers in game two. Senior
Zach Straub (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) got the start and took a no-contest after working just two-thirds of an inning. Sophomore
Trevor Hayes (Dawson, Pa. / Frazier) was almost untouchable as he worked.3.1 innings of no-hit baseball, during which he gave up just one walk and struck out two en route to the win. Srbinovich scattered five hits and no walks over the final three innings of the day. The veteran righty tallied three strikeouts for the save.
Waynesburg will look to extend its current win streak to four games on Friday, April 30, when it hosts Bethany for another PAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 2 p.m.
