ANGOLA, Ind. (May 18) – The Waynesburg University softball team squared off with Millikin in a regional round elimination game in the NCAA Division III National Championships on Friday at Trine University. The Yellow Jackets fell behind early, but settled down and rallied in the seventh to put the game-winning run at the plate. Unfortunately, a contest-inning double play not only wrapped up the game, but the Jackets' season in a 3-1 loss.
 
Trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Waynesburg (29-10) got a leadoff double from junior Ella Brookman (Washington, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston). Senior Reghan Benschoter (Newark, Ohio / Granville), who recorded her 100^th collegiate hit earlier in the game, followed with an infield single to put runners on the corners with no outs on the board. Freshman Jasmine Demaske (Waynesburg, Pa. / Jefferson-Morgan) pinch-ran for Benschoter.
 
After Millikin (31-10) picked up its first out of the frame, freshman Bella DeMark (Carnegie, Pa. / Bishop Canevin) got the Orange and Black on the board with an RBI single that sent Brookman home and put Demaske on third.
 
Unfortunately, the Big Blue slammed the door on Waynesburg's rally with a double play that closed out the contest.
 
Brookman and Benschoter collected two hits each to power the Waynesburg offense.
 
Sophomore Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. / Clay-Battelle) got the start in the circle and put together a solid final performance to her 2023 campaign. The two-time Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Pitcher of the Year worked all seven innings, during which she allowed two earned runs on five hits.
 
Unfortunately, she was hurt by five walks, two hit batsmen and an error.
 
Though it ended earlier than the Jackets were hoping, the 2023 Waynesburg University softball season was another historic one. Waynesburg became the first PAC team to win back-to-back league titles since Thomas More did so in 2017 and 2018. Its 29 wins are also a program record.