WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 24) – The Waynesburg University baseball team split a Sunday afternoon nonconference doubleheader against Pitt Bradford at the Waynesburg Baseball & Softball Complex on Sunday afternoon. The Jackets won game one 6-3 and fell 7-2 in game two.
Waynesburg exits with a 10-8 overall record while UPB sits at 7-12.
Game 1 – Waynesburg 6, Pitt Bradford 3
The Jackets jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening two innings of game one.
Seth Burgdolt (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey) lifted a sacrifice fly in the first and plated another run with a base knock in the second.
Alec Engelmore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler) drove in two with a single in the second inning.
The Panthers responded with two runs scored on wild pitches in the top of the third. An RBI groundout off the bat of
Alex Ashbery (Moon Township, Pa. / Moon) grew Waynesburg's lead to 6-2 after three innings.
UPB opened the fourth inning with a walk and and single before
Garrett Comer tracked down a fly ball in center field and threw out a Panther who attempted to advance to third on the play. Waynesburg starter
Gavin Pratt (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels Area) ended the inning with a groundout. The Jackets turned a 6-3 double play in the fifth before Pratt closed the frame with a strikeout.
The Panthers brought the tying run to the plate by loading the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth. Reliever
Alex Nicholson (Cortland, Ohio / Mathews) froze a UPB batter on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning with a punchout.
UPB loaded the bases with one out in the seventh. A fly ball to deep left-center field was tracked down by Comer to bring home a run. Nicholson struck out the next batter to end the ballgame and collect his first save.
Pratt earned his first win of the season after going 5.2 innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits. Nicholson struck out two and allowed one earned run in 1.1 innings.
Engelmore had three hits and drove in two runs. Burgdolt had two RBI.
Todd Burner (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) scored twice.
Game 2 – Pitt Bradford 7, Waynesburg 2
The Jackets led 2-1 going into the seventh inning but the Panthers scored six unearned runs, including a grand slam to steal a doubleheader split.
The Panthers scored an unearned run in the third inning to open the scoring of game two. Engelmore drove in
Dalton Mount (Sykesville, Md. / Westminster) with a two-out single to knot the game at one.
Hunter Mamie (Eighty Four, Pa. / Ringgold) tripled with one out the fourth and score on a single up the middle by Ashbery to give the Jackets a 2-1 edge.
UPB took advantage of two Waynesburg errors take a 3-2 lead. The Panthers blasted a grand slam for a six-run sixth inning to go ahead 7-2.
Mamie had two hits, a triple and run scored. Engelmore and Ashberry each drove in a run.
Ryan Opfer (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) allowed seven runs, all unearned, in a complete game effort. He held the Panthers to one run over the first six innings.
The Jackets travel to Penn State Altoona for a nonconference doubleheader on Tuesday.
