WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (March 5) – The Waynesburg University baseball team wrapped up its run at the 2022 RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Saturday with a nine-inning matchup against Wartburg. The Yellow Jackets ended their week on a big high note by downing the Knights 4-2.
The win was extra sweet for the Jackets (2-4), who were defeated 14-1 by Wartburg (5-3) on Monday. Waynesburg snapped a five-game Knight winning streak.
Senior
Joe Sabolek (Lynnwood-Pricedale, Pa. / Belle Vernon) powered the Waynesburg win with one of his top performances as a Yellow Jacket. He allowed just one run on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts over six innings. Both singles he allowed also produced the game's first run in the bottom of the second.
The Jackets wasted little time in answering the Wartburg challenge by tallying all of their runs in the top of the third. Sophomore
Lane Ours (Moorefield, W.Va. / Moorefield), senior
Tyler Woodrow (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine-Richland) and graduate student
Brandon Durbin (Cresson, Pa. / Bishop Carroll) got things rolling with back-to-back-to-back walks that loaded the bases.
A Knight pitching change did little to slow the Jackets, as sophomore
Mike Bell (Herminie, Pa. / Yough) picked up an RBI on a groundout to tie the game at 1-1. Freshman
Aidan Williams (Shaler, Pa. / Shaler) got the big blow of the game when he smacked a two-run single that made the score 3-1. After a pop out produced the second out of the inning, freshman
Todd Burner (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) singled to put runners on first and second. Sophomore
Justin Clevenger (McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette) produced another insurance tally with a single that pushed Williams across home plate.
Sabolek, junior
Logan Gottshall (Cresson, Pa. / Bishop Carroll) and sophomore
Ryan Sullivan (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey) got the Jackets' into the ninth inning with their three-run advantage in place. However, the Knights were able to cut their deficit down to 4-2 and had runners on second and third with two outs on the board.
Luckily for Waynesburg, senior
Corey Fischer (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Bethel Park) was able to slam the door on the rally with a game-ending strikeout that clinched his first save of the season.
Williams and Burner posted a team-high two hits each in the win, with the latter logging a triple for the only extra-base hit of the day.
The Jackets will look to carry the momentum of their latest win into their first game north of the Mason-Dixon Line on Friday, March 11. Waynesburg travels to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Wilson.
