STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (April 2) – The Waynesburg University baseball team traveled to Franciscan for a Sunday Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader. The Yellow Jackets enjoyed a successful trip to the Buckeye State by sweeping the Barons by the final scores of 5-2 and 16-4.
 
Sunday's results moved Waynesburg (8-12, 4-2) into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings and gave it a three-game winning streak, which is the second-longest active streak in the PAC.
 
Game one showcased the Yellow Jackets' fortitude, as Franciscan (4-13, 1-5) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and stayed ahead of the visitors for the next five innings. During that same stretch, the Jackets got on the board in the third frame when sophomore Alec Engelmore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler) launched his first homerun of the season. The solo shot cut his team's deficit down to 2-1 and made him the sixth Waynesburg player with multiple homers on the season.
 
The Jackets' 14 homeruns put them comfortably ahead of Washington & Jefferson's eight for the top spot in the league.
 
Speaking of the long ball, junior Marcos Mendez (Ponce, Puerto Rico / Westminster (Md.)) teed off on a solo shot of his own to tie the score in the seventh. Waynesburg scored the eventual game-winning run in the eighth when sophomore Seth Burgdolt (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey) drilled a one-out triple and sprinted home on a passed ball that occurred during the at-bat of junior Mike Bell (Herminie, Pa. / Yough).
 
Looking for some insurance, the Jackets tacked on the final two runs of the day in the top of the ninth. Junior Lane Ours (Moorefield, W.Va. / Moorefield) collected a one-out single and moved into scoring position on a groundout. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Ours was able to stroll home thanks to an RBI double by freshman Hunter Hamilton (Holbrook, Pa. / West Greene). Speaking of leisurely trips to the plate, Hamilton jogged in to score after sophomore Bryce Bedilion (Clarksville, Pa. / Jefferson-Morgan roped his league-leading fourth triple.
 
Freshman Dalton Lucey (Holbrook, Pa. / West Greene) calmed down after giving up two runs, one of which was earned in the first inning, to put together his best start on the mound this year. He came one out shy of a nine-inning complete-game. During those 8.2 innings of work, he scattered 10 hits and one walk, while striking out a personal collegiate-best six batters.
 
After allowing runners to reach second and third with two outs on the board, the Waynesburg coaching staff called on Engelmore to close out the game, which he did by striking out the one batter he faced.
 
Eight different Jackets collected at least one hit each in the win. Ours led the octet with a pair of knocks.
 
The Jackets picked up the victory, despite being out-hit 10-9 and giving up four errors. Lucey and Engelmore combined to strand 11 Franciscan base-runners, which was a major reason for the victory.
 
Waynesburg had no trouble hitting the ball in game two, as the Jackets piled up 17 total base hits, three of which were homeruns. The defensive issues also shifted to Franciscan, which committed four errors. Waynesburg had just one miscue in the field in the late contest.
 
The Jackets struck first when Ours doubled in Engelmore to give the visitors a 1-0 edge in the second. The Barons tied the game in the third, before Waynesburg answered with a three spot in the top of the fourth.
 
Engelmore singled home senior Todd Burner (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South), before coming in to score on Ours' second homer of the 2023 campaign. The Jackets led 4-1, but the real fireworks wouldn't show up until the top of the fifth.
 
After seeing its first batter of the frame retired, the Jackets used eight hits, one walk and two Baron errors to plate nine runs. By the time the dust settled, 14 Waynesburg batters came to the plate. Among the highlights of the outburst was Burgdolt's team-leading third homerun. Burner and Engelmore slapped back-to-back RBI singles, before Bedilion and sophomore Dalton Mount (Sykesville, Md. / Westminster) both logged two-run base knocks. Burgdolt picked up his second run driven in of the innings on a sacrifice fly.
 
The Jackets just kept hitting in the second half of the late game. Engelmore blasted his second homerun of the day in the sixth, before junior Zach Boslet (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona) collected his first two RBIs of 2023 with a bases-loaded single.
 
Waynesburg got its third-straight appearance that lasted at least seven innings from a starting pitcher, courtesy of Bedilion. The second-year south paw logged a seven-inning complete game to improve to 1-0 on the year. He scattered eight hits, six of which were earnd, and three walks, while striking out three opposing hitters.
 
Engelmore went a perfect four-for-four at the dish with four runs scored and three more driven in to power the Waynesburg offensive machine. Ours also drove in three with a two-for-four performance. Burner logged a pair of hits, one of which was his first triple of the season. The Jackets boasted 12 of their own logging at least one hit each. Impressively, all four Waynesburg pinch-hitters reached base when given the opportunity to pick up a bat.
 
After going 4-2 this past week, all against conference competition, and coming one run short of possibly winning five-of-six, Waynesburg is scheduled to go to Geneva on Tuesday, April 4, for a PAC doubleheader with the Golden Tornadoes. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.