GREENVILE, Pa. (April 16) – The Waynesburg University softball team took the first game at Thiel but settled for a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader split on Wednesday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets (22-10, 8-7 PA ) scored 11 runs over the final three innings to turn a low-scoring affair into a 13-0 rout in game one. The Tomcats' (13-11, 7-7 PAC) Kesley Heid swatted two home runs to lead the Tomcats to a comeback 6-5 victory in game two.
Game 1 – Waynesburg 13, Thiel 0
Starting pitcher
Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. / Clay-Battelle) carried a no-hitter into the fifth as the Yellow Jackets built a 3-0 lead with runs in the first, fourth, and fifth innings.
The Waynesburg lead doubled to 6-0 with a three-run sixth.
Brynn Charnesky (Scottdale, Pa. / Southmoreland) brought home
Grace Higgins (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan) with a bunt single, and the Jackets tacked on two unearned runs on a pair of Tomcat errors.
Waynesburg exploded for seven runs on seven hits in the seventh.
Bella DeMark (Carnegie, Pa. / Bishop Canevin) knocked a two-run single, while
Tori Foust (Blairsville, Pa. / River Valley) and
Alyssa Rager (Washington, Pa. / Trinity) added RBI base hits.
Meysa Heitmann (Morgantown, W.Va. / University) opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first. Higgins scored on a bunt by Charnesky in the fourth, and
Kassidy Trimble (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) plated
Dilyn Roberts (Sellersburg, Ind. / Henryville) with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Waynesburg outhit Thiel 11-2. Eight different players recorded a hit, nine scored a run, and seven drove in at least one.
Wilson tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out eight and walking two. She recorded at least one strikeout in six different innings.
Higgins went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a double, and two stolen bases. DeMark had two hits, two RBI, and a run scored. Heitmann homered and walked, finishing with two RBI and two runs. Charnesky drove in two and scored twice.
Game 2 – Thiel 6, Waynesburg 5
Waynesburg led 5-3 going into the bottom of the fifth, but Heid went deep for her second two-run home run of the ballgame, and the Tomcats took a 6-5 lead with a two-out RBI double.
The Jackets put runners on second and third in both the sixth and seventh innings but could not bring home the tying run.
The Jackets led 1-0 in the first after Heitmann notched an infield single, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Higgins.
Thiel knotted the game at one with an RBI single in the third and took a 3-1 lead on Heid's first two-run shot of the day.
Waynesburg answered with three runs in the top of the fourth. Kaitlynn Jagielski (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny) smacked a two-run single to left to tie the game at four.
Sydney Petrowski (Uniontown, Pa. / Connellsville) lifted a sacrifice fly to score Charnesky and give Waynesburg a 4-3 edge.
Graeson Grubbs (Volant, Pa. / Wilmington) extended the Jacket lead to 5-3 with an RBI double in the fifth. Thiel rallied back with three in the bottom of the frame and held on to steal a 6-5 win.
The Jackets stranded at least one runner in scoring position in each of the final five innings, including placing a runner on third in the sixth and seventh innings.
Wilson tossed two scoreless innings to begin the game for Waynesburg.
Pressley Meadows (Annapolis, Ohio / Edison) took the loss after allowing six earned runs on seven hits.
Grubbs went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Jagielski also had three hits and two RBI. Heitmann had two hits, two stolen bases, walked and scored a run.
Waynesburg returns to action on April 21 at Penn State Behrend.
