STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (April 5) – The Waynesburg University softball team traveled to Franciscan on Wednesday for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader against the Barons. The Yellow Jackets took two very different roads to secure their eighth and ninth-straight victories.
 
The Waynesburg (15-3, 6-0) bats blasted 21 hits on its way to a 22-5 win in game one. Game two featured another stellar performance in the circle by the reigning PAC Pitcher of the Year, sophomore Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. / Clay-Battelle), who tossed a complete-game shutout in a 4-0 triumph.
 
Franciscan (0-18, 0-8) showed no fear of the defending conference champions and was tied 1-1 after one inning of play. The Jackets took control of the contest in the top of the second by scoring 14 runs by sending 18 batters to the plate. There were 14 hits produced in the frame, nine of which were of the extra-base variety.
 
Franciscan answered with its final four runs in its half of the second. Surprisingly, neither team was able to score in the third, but Waynesburg rediscovered its offensive rhythm in the fourth with a seven-spot. Senior Reghan Benschoter (Newark, Ohio / Glenville), junior Kayla Gratton (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) and sophomore Dilyn Roberts (Sellersburg, Ind. / Henryville) all produced two-run RBI's in the frame.
 
After a bit of a rough start, freshman Autumn Stemple (Morgantown, W.Va. / University) settled in with three-straight scoreless innings to improve her pitching record to 6-1. She struck out 10 of the 15 outs she recorded.
 
Four different Jackets recorded three hits each, with four more collecting two knocks a-piece. Benschoter, sophomore Grace Higgins (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan) and freshman Jasmine Demaske (Waynesburg, Pa. / Jefferson-Morgan) all crushed homeruns. Demaske came just a single shy of hitting for the cycle.
 
Six different Waynesburg players combined for seven doubles in the opener.
 
As previously mentioned, Wilson dominated game two, during which she gave up just two singles over seven innings. The star lefty had just one strikeout, but she induced an impressive 18 groundouts.
 
Benschoter drove in the only run Wilson needed to improve her record in the circle to 8-2 in 2023 with a single in the first inning. The Jackets picked up their second run of the day later in the frame on an error.
 
Junior Sydney Senay (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan) logged her team's fourth homerun of the day when she belted a solo shot in the fifth to make the score 3-0. Waynesburg tacked on the final run of the day in the seventh thanks to another Franciscan error.
 
Benschoter and senior Brin Hunter (West Alexander, Pa. / McGuffey) tagged two hits each to power a six-knock effort.
 
Waynesburg is back home on Saturday, April 8, when Washington & Jefferson comes to town for another PAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 1 p.m.