WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 3) – The Waynesburg University baseball team welcomed Westminster College to town for a Saturday doubleheader. The Yellow Jackets led from first pitch to last during a 5-2 win in game one then used a monster fifth inning in game two to complete the sweep with an 11-5 triumph.
 
Game one was a nine-inning affair that counted towards both teams' Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) records. Game two was a seven-inning non-conference affair.
 
Junior pitcher Joe Sabolek (Lynnwood-Pricedale, Pa. / Bell Vernon) was the driving force behind victory number one on the day for Waynesburg (4-6, 2-5). Sabolek rolled through his first six inning on the mound, shutting out the Titans (4-10, 2-8) for those half-dozen frames.
 
Meanwhile, the Waynesburg offense got the righty starter more than enough support after tallying two runs in the third, a run in the fifth and one more in the sixth. Freshman third baseman Mike Bell (Herminie, Pa. / Yough) singled home junior shortstop Ty Kildow (Bethesda, Ohio / Union Local) for the day's first tally. The next batter, senior right fielder Brandon Durbin (Cresson, Pa. / Bishop Carroll), legged out an infield single that plated freshman second baseman Nolan Vertullo (Pittsburgh, Pa. / South Fayette) and made the score 2-0.
 
The home team's advantage stretched to 3-0 when Durbin singled home Bell for his second RBI of the opener. The Jackets' lead grew to 4-0 when they took advantage of a Westminster error that gave freshman first baseman Justin Clevenger (McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette) the opportunity to sprint across home plate.
 
Westminster finally got to Sabolek in the seventh for their only two runs of the game, but the rally was cut short when freshman Ryan Sullivan (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey) came out of the bullpen to record a strikeout and induce a double-play to close out the inning.
 
The Jackets got one of those two runs back in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a run-producing single by Kildow that scored senior outfielder Ryan Mills (Westminster, Md. / Westminster).
 
Waynesburg's bullpen closed out the victory for Sabolek. Senior Zach Straub (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) picked up a strikeout before turning the ball over to junior Cody Ray (St. Clairsville, Ohio / Union Local) who logged a save after tossing a perfect 1.2 innings on the mound.
 
Waynesburg outhit the opposition nine-seven in the opener. Durbin had three of those knocks, with Bell adding two more to the total.
 
Sabolek gave the Jackets a quality start on the mound. The big righty allowed two runs, both earned on seven hits and no walks. He also racked up five strikeouts to pick up his team-leading second victory of the season.
 
Game two got off to a very different start, as Westminster broke open a 0-0 tie with a four-run top of the second inning. The Jackets didn't get on the board until the bottom of the fourth, when Clevenger singled in Durbin.
 
Waynesburg still trailed 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth. It was at that point when the Jackets not only put together their best inning of the year, but one of most productive in recent history. The home team piled up an impressive 10 runs on seven hits, one walk and four hit batsmen to take an 11-4 lead. By the time the dust settled, 15 batters came to the plate during the offensive outburst. Seven different Jackets recorded at least one RBI each in the frame.
 
The Titans closed the scoring with a run in the sixth. The visitors put two runners on in the top of the seventh, but Sullivan slammed the door from the mound during his second appearance of the day and complete the sweep.
 
Eight different Jackets combined for 11 hits. Durbin, Clevenger and graduate student catcher John Przbylinski (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) logged two hits each to drive the balanced attack. Vertullo, Durbin, Clevenger and Przbylinski logged two RBI's each in the victory, while Vertullo and Kildow each scored twice. Nine Waynesburg players scored at least one run a-piece.
 
Five different Waynesburg pitchers combined for the win. Clevenger picked up the victory after allowing a run on a hit and two walks over two innings of work. The fourth different hurler of the late contest also logged three strikeouts in the victory.
 
Waynesburg and Westminster will square off again for another PAC doubleheader on Monday, April 5. First pitch from New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, is scheduled for 1 p.m.