WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 16) -- The Waynesburg University baseball team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play with a sweep of Geneva College Saturday afternoon at the Baseball & Softball Complex.
Garrett Comer (St. Albans, W.Va. / St. Albans) delivered a walk-off single in game one to seal the 2-1 win, and
Ethan Erhard (Greensburg, Pa. / Hempfield) tossed eight innings of 1-run ball to lead the Orange and Black to a 5-1 game two victory.
Game One
Dalton Lucey (Waynesburg, Pa. / West Greene) got the start for the Yellow Jackets (7-4, 1-0 PAC) and stranded base runners in each of the first three innings. The Jackets mustered just one base runner in the opening third of the game.
The Golden Tornadoes (7-4, 0-1 PAC) got on the board with an RBI single in the fourth to lead 1-0. Waynesburg responded in the bottom half of the inning as
Todd Burner (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) ripped a run-scoring triple to left to make it 1-1.
The bast went quiet on both sides as neither side produced an inning with more than one base runner the rest of the way.
The Jackets put the lead-off man on in the ninth as
Seth Burgdolt (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey) was hit by a pitch. He advanced into scoring position on a ground out to put the winning run 180 feet away. Comer stepped to the dish and ripped a single to left to score Burgdolt and seal the Jackets' third walk-off win of the young season.
Lucey tossed a complete game, scattering nine hits while walking one and striking out seven. He has now gone the distance in his past two outings.
Game Two
The Yellow Jackets' (8-4, 2-0 PAC) offense got started early as
Dalton Mount (Sykesville, Md. / Westminster) stole third and scored on a throwing error to make it 1-0.
Mike Bell (Herminie, Pa. / Yough) reach on an error and later scored on a Comer single to give the home side a 2-0 edge after one.
Erhard kept the Golden Tornadoes (7-5, 0-2 PAC) off the board in the first two frames but allowed a solo homer in the third.Â
Ian Trott (Clairton, Pa. / Pittsburgh Central Catholic) knocked a single to center in third and later scored on an
Alec Engelmore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler) double down the left-field line to make it 3-1. Engerlmore came home on a Comer single to push Waynesburg's lead to 4-1.
It remained a 3-run Jacket edge until Burner raked a solo shot over the left field fence to make it 5-1 in the seventh.
Erhard worked a scoreless eighth to conclude a stellar performance in which he scattered eight hits and struck out four with just one walk.
Engelmore worked a 1-2-3 ninth to give Waynesburg its best start to a season since 2012 (9-3). He finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a run and an RBI. Comer went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.
The Jackets return to action tomorrow for a 2 p.m. home doubleheader with Penn State Behrend.
