WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 18) – Fans that braved the cold, breezy conditions in Waynesburg were treated to an exciting Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader between visiting Thiel and the home-standing Yellow Jackets. Junior Nolan Vertullo (Pittsburgh, Pa. / South Fayette) blasted a walk-off homerun in a 4-3 victory in game one, while the Tomcats outlasted Waynesburg in a 15-14 slugfest in the late contest.
 
Despite all the offensive fireworks, most of game one played out as a pitchers duel between Waynesburg (12-20, 8-8) freshman Gavin Pratt (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels) and his counterpart from Thiel. After Pratt breezed through the top of the first, the Jacket lineup tallied the day's first run when Lane Ours (Moorefield, W.Va. / Moorefield), who was honored before the opener for senior day, singled home junior Mike Bell (Herminie, Pa. / Yough).
 
Pratt continued to put up goose eggs, and the Jackets tripled their advantage in the sixth, when junior shortstop Todd Burner (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) roped a two-run double that sent Ours and sophomore Alec Engelmore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler) sprinting home to make the score 3-0.
 
Thiel (11-19, 5-7) finally got to Pratt in the seventh, when it tied the score at 3-3. Engelmore moved from right field to the mound to put up 2.2 scoreless innings and give his team a chance to grab the victory. Vertullo wasted no time in ending the opener by teeing off on his game-winning solo shot in the first at-bat of the bottom of the ninth.
 
Engelmore got the win in relief after giving up three hits and no walks with two strikeouts in his most recent appearance. Pratt put together arguably his best start of the year in the no-decision. He allowed three runs, all earned, on six hits and five walks. The first-year righty tallied a game-high four strikeouts.
 
Seven different Waynesburg players combined for eight hits, two of which were recorded by Ours.
 
Unlike game one, game two was all offense, all the time, as the PAC rivals combined for an eye-opening 37 base hits, seven walks and four hit batsmen. Nine different pitchers hit the mound by the time the final out was recorded.
 
Thiel got things rolling with two runs in the top of the first inning. Waynesburg immediately tied things up in the bottom of the frame when sophomore Bryce Bedilion (Clarksville, Pa. / Jefferson-Morgan) scored on an error and Pratt, who moved from the pitcher's mound to the batting order, produced a sacrifice fly that drove in sophomore Seth Burgdolt (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey).
 
After back-to-back scoreless innings, Thiel regained its lead with a four-spot in the top of the fourth. Once again, the Jackets answered right back in the bottom of the frame. Vertullo recorded his second RBI of the day, this one on a groundout that made the score 6-3. After the Jackets loaded the bases, Engelmore struck a monster blow in the form of a three-run double that retied the score (6-6).
 
The Jackets grabbed their first lead of the late contest when Vertullo produced his second RBI groundout of the game in the that made the score 7-6 in the fifth. Thiel responded with another monster inning, this time putting up five runs in the sixth to move ahead 11-7.
 
The Jackets counterpunched again in their half of the sixth with a half-dozen tallies that put the host squad up 13-11. An RBI double by Bell, a two-run single by Pratt and a run-scoring single by sophomore Dalton Mount (Sykesville, Md. / Westminster) tied the score at 11-11. Bedilion pushed his team back ahead (13-11) with a double that plated Vertullo and Mount.
 
Unfortunately, Thiel got the last laugh with four runs in the top of the ninth, but even that wasn't enough to keep the home team from taking one last shot at a sweep. Bedilion kept hope alive with a one-out triple and he scored the day's final tally on a groundout by Burgdolt. Unfortunately, the Tomcats picked up the final out of the game to escape with a victory.
 
Bedilion had a monster game at the plate by going four-for-five and coming a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle. He scored three runs and drove in two more. Burgdolt went three-for-five with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI in the late contest. Pratt posted a two-for-four showing at the dish with three RBIs and two runs scored. Mount also went two-for-four with an RBI and two runs scored.
 
Engelmore recorded his second decision of the day after suffering the loss in relief. He allowed two runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits and no walks during an inning's work. Freshman Ethan Erhard (Greensburg, Pa. / Hempfield) was the first of four Jackets to appear on the mound and took a no-decision. He allowed six runs, five of which were earned, on seven hits and two walks. He posted a contest-best two strikeouts in his latest start, which lasted four innings.
 
The Jackets are back in action on Saturday, April 22, when they travel to Allegheny for another PAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon.