WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 14) -- The Waynesburg University softball team topped Carlow University 2-1 in game one and 10-4 in game two to sweep the home-opening doubleheader Thursday afternoon in non-conference action at the Baseball & Softball Complex.
Game One
The Yellow Jackets (3-3, 0-0 PAC) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Francesca Beighley dropped an
Alyssa Rager (Washington, Pa. / Trinity) popup, allowing
Trinity Edge (Franklin, Pa. / Franklin) and
Grace Higgins (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan) to score.
Autumn Stemple (Morgantown, W.Va. / University) retired the first seven Celtics (1-8, 0-0 AMCC) batters before allowing a one-out single in the third. She rebounded by retiring the next five batters before allowing a lead-off homer in the fifth as the visitors cut the deficit to 2-1. The Jackets went down in order in the bottom half of the fifth.
Carlow notched a pair of one-out singles in the sixth to put the go-ahead run on base. Stemple eased her way out of trouble, garnering a pop fly and a fielders choice to end the frame. The Celtics put a runner on in the seventh on an error but the sophomore righty picked up her defense with a strikeout and a fly out to seal the 2-1 win.
Stemple posted her second complete game in as many starts, allowing four hits and striking out six with zero walks.
Both sides garnered just four hits in the first half of the twin bill.
Game Two
The Celtics (1-9, 0-0 AMCC) tagged
Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. / Clay-Batelle) for 3 first-inning runs in her season debut. The Yellow Jackets (4-3, 0-0 PAC) added a run in the bottom half of the inning to make it 3-1. Wilson worked around a base runner in both the second and third to keep it a 2-run game.
The Orange and Black's bats came to life in the third as
Mackenzie Kearns (Elizabeth, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward),
Kassidy Trimble (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) and Higgins all singled to start the frame and load the bases.
Ella Brookman (Washington, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) brought in Kearns with a single to make it a 1-run game. Higgins crossed home on a
Kaitlyn Jagielski (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny) fielders choice to tie game two at 3.
Jasmine Demaske (Waynesburg, Pa. / Jefferson-Morgan) capped the inning with a two-RBI triple to left center, giving the home side a 5-3 lead.
Wilson sent the Celtics down in order in the fourth. The Jackets bats stayed hot in the bottom of the fourth as Edge produced a 2-run double to extend Waynesburg's lead to 7-3. Demaske again capped off a 4-run inning, this time with a two-RBI single to make it 9-3.
The Celtics added a run in the sixth, but Jagielski put the Jackets back up 6 with a solo homer just inside the left-field foul pole in the bottom half of the frame. Wilson worked around a pair of base runners in the seventh to close out the 10-4 victory.
Demaske tied her career-mark with four RBIs while going 2-for-4 at the plate. Edge finished 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Jagielski added a hit, scored twice and had 2 runs knocked in. Trimble added a perfect 3-for-3 showing with 2 runs out of the lead-off spot. Kearns scored a run while walloping two hits.
The Yellow Jackets return to action Saturday when they travel to University Heights, Ohio for a non-conference doubleheader with John Carroll at 1 p.m.
