WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 21) – The Waynesburg University softball team had a day to remember when it hosted Saint Vincent for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader. Not only did the Yellow Jackets sweep the number-two team in the PAC, but in doing so, they broke the record for most wins in a single season in recorded program history.
Freshman pitcher
Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. / Clay Battelle) was a driving force behind one of the most impressive sweeps in recent memory. Game one was a masterpiece for the star southpaw. After giving up a double to the first hitter of the game, Wilson allowed just three singles, no walks and nine strikeouts over the remainder of the 4-0 win.
Wilson got all the run support she needed in the bottom of the first inning, when junior
Reghan Benschoter (Newark, Ohio / Granville) connected on a two-run double. Sophomore
Ella Brookman (Wasington, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) drove in Waynesburg's (20-7, 9-3) third run of the day in the third inning with a triple. The game's final tally was produced by the bat of junior
Brin Hunter (West Alexander, Pa. / McGuffey), who produced an RBI single.
Wilson was sent back out to the circle for game two against one of the top hitting teams in the PAC. Though things started a bit slowly, the rookie standout rose to the challenge, as the Jackets scored late on their way to a 5-2 victory.
Saint Vincent (17-5, 6-4) took its first and only lead of the day with a run in the top of the first. The advantage was short-lived, however, as Benschoter came through with her second two-run double of the afternoon in the bottom of the frame.
The Bearcats tied things up at 2-2 with a solo homerun in the fourth. The score stayed knotted up until the sixth, when a familiar name produced another big blow, this one being of the game-winning variety. Benschoter not only stung a two-run triple, but also came around to score on an error following the three-base knock.
Things got a bit dicey for Waynesburg in the top of the seventh, as Saint Vincent loaded the bases with two outs on the board. However, Wilson reached down deep into her reserves and was able to induce one final groundout and complete the sweep.
Hunter and Benschoter tallied two hits each in the late contest. The latter of the two piled up four RBIs, while Hunter and Brookman scored two runs each.
Despite already having seven innings under her belt from game one, Wilson had enough left in her arm to scatter five hits, four of which were singles, and two walks over another complete-game victory. She added another seven strikeouts to her season total of 124, which is tops in the PAC. She also leads the league in ERA (0.80), opposing batting average (.181) and wins (12).
The Jackets will get a day off to rest before traveling to Westminster on Saturday, April 23, to face the PAC-leading Titans in a league doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
