WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 26) – The Waynesburg University softball team kept its postseason hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over Westminster in the second game of Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at the Waynesburg University Baseball & Softball Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets (23-15, 9-10 PAC) honored their nine seniors prior to the doubleheader. The Titans (25-11, 14-6 PAC) entered the day with an opportunity to clinch the PAC regular season title and host the PAC Tournament with a sweep.
Titans starting pitcher Cheyenne Piper stymied the Yellow Jackets as she spun a one-hit shutout in a 3-0 Westminster win.
Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. / Clay-Battelle) answered with a three-hit shutout of her own in game two as the Jackets earned a 2-0 win in the nightcap.
Game 1 – Westminster 3, Waynesburg 0
Mackenzie Kearns (Elizabeth, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward) notched Waynesburg's lone hit of the game with a slap into left field to lead off the third. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt but was stranded on second.
The Titans scored two runs on three hits in the fourth and added another in the fifth with a double, sac bunt and sac fly to bring the score to the final margin of 3-0 Westminster.
The Jackets managed just one hit and two walks against Piper. Wilson allowed three earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Game 2 – Waynesburg 2, Westminster 0
Waynesburg called upon Wilson again in the circle in game two and she delivered a complete game three-hit shutout. She struck out four and walked two while stranding all five Westminster baserunners in the game.
The Jackets scored in the first inning as
Camdyn Kowalczyk (Apollo, Pa. / Apollo-Ridge) ripped a book-rule double to lead off the bottom of the first, advanced on a bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Kaitlyn Jagielski (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny).
Both teams put multiple runners on in the fourth but each pitcher worked out of the jam. Westminster opened the frame with back-to-back base hits. Wilson got a force out at third, a fly out and a hard line out to Kearns in center field to work out of the inning.
Waynesburg loaded the bases with one out in the home half of the fourth but consecutive pop outs prevented the Jackets from building on their 1-0 lead.
Grace Higgins (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan) cranked a solo home run down the left field line in the bottom of the fifth to double Waynesburg's lead to 2-0 and Wilson did the rest.
Westminster worked a walk in both the sixth and seventh innings but were unable to plate either runner as the Jackets remained in the PAC Tournament hunt with a 2-0 win.
Higgins had two of Waynesburg's five hits, including her first home run of the season. Kowalczyk doubled and scored in the first.
Waynesburg will conclude its halted game against Bethany on Monday at 2 p.m. A win would clinch a berth in the PAC Tournament for the Jackets.
