WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 15) – The Waynesburg University softball team hosted Allegheny on Tuesday for a its 2022 home opener. The Yellow Jackets got a pair of outstanding pitching performances and tallied just enough offense to sweep the Gators by the scores of 1-0 and 1-0.
 
Freshman Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. / Clay Battelle) continued her stellar rookie campaign at Waynesburg (8-3) by logging her third complete-game win of the season during the opener. Wilson allowed just a pair of singles and a pair of walks, while logging four strikeouts in her most recent victory.
 
Even when an Allegheny (0-2) batter managed to get on base, more often than not, junior catcher Brin Hunter (West Alexander, Pa. / McGuffey) erased them as she threw out two Gators trying to steal and caught a runner leaning too far off second base and inducing a successful rundown.
 
The only run of the opener came in the sixth, when Hunter doubled and moved to third on a groundout. The versatile back stopper showed off her athleticism by sprinting home on a passed ball with two outs on the board.
 
Sophomore third baseman Sydney Senay (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon McMillan) also doubled, while sophomore first baseman Emma Bliss (Uniontown, Pa. / Laurel Highlands) tripled to make up Waynesburg's three hits.
 
Sophomore Ella Brookman (Washington, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) took to the circle in game two and was just as effective as her younger counterpart. Brookman allowed four hits, three of which were singles, and one walk, while piling up seven strikeouts.
 
Unlike the opener, Waynesburg struck early and made it stand up over six more stressful innings. Freshman centerfielder Mackenzie Kearns (Elizabeth, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward) took advantage of a dropped strike three and hustled to first base. After moving to second base on a groundout, Senay drilled her second double of the day that produced the only RBI of the twin bill.
 
The Gators nearly tied things up in the third, but one of several sterling defensive plays kept the home team in the lead. With a runner on second and two outs, Allegheny connected on what looked like a game-tying single. However, sophomore Kara May (Indian Head, Pa. / Connellsville) gunned the runner out on the plate as Hunter applied the tag.
 
Brookman put an exclamation point on the win with a one-two-three seventh that included back-to-back strikeouts to wrap things up.
 
Bliss and junior right fielder Reghan Benschoter (Newark, Ohio / Granville) singled in the late contest.
 
Waynesburg has now strung together 19-straight scoreless innings going back to the final game of its spring break trip to Myrtle Beach.
 
The Jackets are back on the field on Friday, March 18, when they host Penn State Du Bois for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.