LATROBE, Pa. (March 22) – The Waynesburg University baseball team totaled 28 hits in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader at Saint Vincent. The Jackets took a 10-8 win in game one but had a four-run ninth inning comeback spoiled by a walk-off fielders choice in a 6-5 defeat in game two.

Waynesburg moves to 9-7 on the season and 3-1 in PAC play. SVC now stands at 3-11, 1-1 PAC.

Game 1 – Waynesburg 10, Saint Vincent 8

The Jackets scored twice in the opening frame of the doubleheader. Todd Burner (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) doubled and scored on a wild pitch to score the game's first run. Garrett Comer (St. Albans, W.Va. / St. Albans) brought home Alec Engelmore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler) with a double to center field to give Waynesburg a 2-0 edge.

The Bearcats responded with a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the third. SVC had the tying and go-ahead runs on base before Dalton Lucey (Waynesburg, Pa. / West Greene) coaxed a force out to end the inning.

Waynesburg added another tally in the fourth with Aidan Williams (Shaler, Pa. / Shaler) plating Burner with a two-out base hit to bring the margin to 4-2. A leadoff triple in the home half of the fourth turned into the Bearcats' third run to make it a one-run ballgame heading into the fifth.

The Jacket added three unearned runs, all with two outs, in the fifth inning. Dalton Mount (Sykesville, Md. / Westminster) came home on an error and Comer knocked a two-run single to extend Waynesburg's lead to 7-3.

The Jackets' edge grew to 8-3 before SVC rallied back within one run. A sacrifice fly and a home run turned into a three-run seventh for the Bearcats. An unearned run in the eighth brought the hosts within a run at 8-7 heading into the ninth.

Mount launched a solo home run to lead off the ninth and Williams had an RBI single to hand the Jackets a 10-7 edge going into the final half-inning.

SVC blasted its own leadoff home run in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate with no outs after a walk. With two outs, Bearcat pinch hitter Jacob Auld sent a fly ball to deep center field where Comer made a leaping catch on the warning track for the game's final out.

Jackets set a season-high with 16 hits and tied a season-high with 10 runs in the win.

Burner matched Waynesburg's 2024 single-game highs with four hits and three runs in the contest. He added a double and an RBI. Comer had three hits, a double and three RBI. Seth Burgdolt (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey)  had three hits with Mount and Williams each recording two hits and two RBI.

Lucy notched his fourth win of the season. He allowed five earned runs in 6.2 innings, struck out two and walked none. Englemore tossed the final 2.1 innings and collected his first save.

Game 2 – Saint Vincent 6, Waynesburg 5

The Jackets stranded 11 baserunners over game two's first eight innings and trailed 4-1 going into the ninth. Back-to-back singles and a one-out walk loaded the bases for the Jackets in the ninth. Comer battled back from a 1-2 count to work a walk and bring the margin to 4-2. 

Williams tied the game at four with a two-run single to right field. After a strikeout and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, Comer scampered home on a passed ball to score the go-ahead run.

SVC opened the bottom of the ninth with a hit batter and base hit. The Bearcats tied the game with a one-out double. The Jackets issued an intentional walk to load the bases. A sharply hit ball to second was fielded and thrown home but the throw was off-line as the Bearcats celebrated a 6-5 victory.

Waynesburg put seven runners on base over the first four innings of game two but were unable to push across the game's first run. The Bearcats took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a wild pitch.

Burner doubled to lead off the fifth and scored to tie the game at one on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Burgdolt. 

The Bearcats went ahead 4-1 in the sixth with a successful squeeze play coupled with an error to score two runs and a sacrifice fly.

Ethan Erhardt (Greensburg, Pa. / Hempfield) went 5.1 innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits. Mike McCready (Greensburg, Pa. / Greensburg Central Catholic) worked 2.2 scoreless innings in relief.

The Jackets put a runner on base in all nine innings and matched a season high with 13 runners left on base.

Williams went 3-5 with two RBI. Burner, Mount and Comer each had two hits. Burner scored twice.

Waynesburg hosts Pitt Bradford in a nonconference doubleheader on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.