WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 26) -- The Waynesburg University baseball team logged 6-5 (8 Inn.) and 4-3 wins over La Roche University in a home non-conference doubleheader Monday afternoon as Mike Bell (Herminie, Pa. / Yough) and Todd Burner (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) posted walk-off singles to open the 2024 campaign.

GAME 1
Dalton Lucey (Waynesburg, Pa. / West Greene) got the opening day nod for the Yellow Jackets (1-0, 0-0 PAC) and retired the first eight batters he faced. The home side got on the board first in the bottom of the second as Dalton Mount (Sykesville, Md. / Westminster) brought home Burner on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Gavin Pratt (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels Area) drove home Trent Giraffa (Hanover, Pa. / Delone Catholic) with an RBI single in the next at bat to make it 2-0.

The Red Hawks (0-2, 0-0 AMCC) knotted things at 2 in the third and sent the Orange and Black down in order in the bottom half of the inning before adding 2 more runs in the fourth to make it 4-2.

The Jackets got a run back in the fifth as Aidan Williams (Shaler, Pa. / Shaler) brought home Bell with an RBI base knock to make it 4-3. La Roche got the run back in the sixth to up their lead back to 2.

Mount drove home Giraffa with a run-scoring double in the sixth to cut the deficit to 1. With Mount at second and and pinch-runner Ian Trott (Clairton, Pa. / Pittsburgh Central Catholic) at third, Bell drew a walk and Trott scored to tie things at 5 as ball four skipped away from the catcher for a wild pitch.

Alec Engelmore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler) took the mound in relief of Lucey and stranded a pair of two-out base runners to send the game into the bottom of the seventh. The Jackets had first and second with one out but were unable to capitalize and the game went into extra innings.

Mount singled to start the bottom of the eighth, and he advanced to Third as Pratt ripped a double to left center. Bell stepped to the plate and roped a line drive single off the side of the mound and into center field to deliver the 6-5 opening day win for the Jackets.

GAME 2
Ethan Erhard (Greensburg, Pa. / Hempfield) took the ball in game two for the Yellow Jackets (2-0, 0-0 PAC). The Red Hawks (0-3, 0-0 AMCC) tallied a run each in the first two innings to lead 2-0.

They held that lead all the way to the bottom of the sixth with two outs. The Jackets put together a two-out rally as Burner doubled to center, Mount drew a walk and Hunter Mamie (Eighty Four, Pa. / Ringgold) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Garrett Comer (St. Albans, W.Va. / St. Albans) stepped to the dish and laced a slicing double into right-center field to clear the bases and give Waynesburg a late 3-2 lead.

La Roche started the seventh with a double and called on a speedy pinch runner to try and tie the game on the base paths. Erhard picked the runner off at second, seemingly quelling the visitors' comeback hopes. Dimitri Gary thought otherwise and swatted a solo shot to left to tie the game at 3.

After Mount grounded out to start the last of the seventh, Pratt was hit by a pitch, and he advanced to second on a Bell single to left. Engelmore added a single to load the bases, bringing Burner back to the dish. Burner roped a walk-off single to center to clinch the 4-3 win and a sweep of the the opening day twin-bill.

Erhard logged a complete game in his first start of 2024, striking out five while allowing eight hits and 3 runs.

The Yellow Jackets' scheduled Tuesday doubleheader with Pitt Bradford was postponed due to expected weather. A makeup date has not been announced yet.