GROVE CITY, Pa. (March 29) – The Waynesburg University softball team was edge in both games of a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Grove City on Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets (16-7, 2-4 PAC) led 2-0 in both games, however the Wolverines came back to win 4-2 in game one and 6-2 in game two. Grove City (15-4, 6-0 PAC) extended its winning streak to 11-straight games with the victories.
Game 1 – Grove City 4, Waynesburg 2
Alyssa Rager's (Washington, Pa. / Trinity) first collegiate home run gave Waynesburg a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning of Saturday's opener.
Grove City struck back in the fifth with a solo home run. After a double, the Wolverines tied the game at two on an obstruction call on a play at the plate in which the runner was originally called out. Grove City took a 3-2 lead on an RBI groundout. The Wolverines tacked on an unearned insurance run in the sixth to lead 4-2.
Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second but the tying run was stranded at second as a pop out ended the ballgame.
Rager had two of the Jackets' four hits, drove in both runs and scored once.
Autumn Stemple (Morgantown, W.Va. / University) struck out four and allowed two earned runs on four hits in four innings.
Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. / Clay-Battelle) took the setback after allowing two runs, one earned, in two innings of relief.
Game 2 – Grove City 6, Waynesburg 2
The Jackets scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning but only managed two hits the rest of the ballgame.
Grove City scored three unearned runs in the second inning to take a 3-2 lead. The Wolverines grew their lead to 6-2 with a run scoring on a fielder's choice and a two-out two-run double in the fourth.
A hit batter, walk and wild pitch put runners on second and third with nobody out for the Jackets in the top of the fifth. Grove City escaped without allowing any runs with a groundout to the pitcher, a strikeout and a pop out. Waynesburg managed just one base runner in the seventh as the Wolverines secured a 6-2 victory.
Grace Higgins (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan) and
Kaitlyn Jagielski (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny) scored for the Jackets. Rager and
Camdyn Kowalczyk each drove in a run.
Wilson allowed four runs, one earned, in three innings.
Pressley Meadows (Annapolis, Ohio / Edison) allowed two earned runs in 0.2 innings.
Madison Baker (Kittanning, Pa. / Armstrong) struck out two in 2.1 scoreless innings.
Waynesburg hosts Geneva in the Jackets' annual Angels in the Outfield Suicide Awareness game. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.
