WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 21) – The Waynesburg University softball team hosted Saint Vincent for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets rebounded from a disappointing 7-6 loss in game one to defeat the Bearcats 5-3 in the late contest.
The Jackets (25-11, 13-7) got off to a fast start with three runs in the bottom of the first inning of the opener. Sophomore
Rylee Rohbeck (Oakdale, Pa. / South Fayette) wasted no time in setting the tone for the day by teeing off on a leadoff homerun that put her squad up 1-0. Junior
Jamie Kelly (Front Royal, Va. / Skyline) followed with a double and senior
Braylee Corbin (Petersburg, W.Va. / Petersburg) made it three-straight hits to open the contest with an RBI single.
Corbin moved up to third on a groundout, before scoring on an error to expand Waynesburg's advantage to 3-0. Saint Vincent (18-16, 10-10) got on the board with a run in the top of the second, before the Jackets re-established a three-run advantage (4-1) in the bottom of the frame thanks to an RBI single by Kelly.
The Bearcats closed the gap to a single run with two runs in the third, then surged ahead 7-4 after posting four runs in the top of the sixth. Waynesburg cut the deficit back down to two in the bottom of the inning after sophomore
Tori Foust (Blairsville, Pa. / River Valley) doubled and was pinch-run for by junior
Kaitlyn Sullivan (Monaca, Pa. / Central Valley). Sullivan came in to score two batters later on an error. A single by junior
Brynn Charnesky (Scottdale, Pa. / Southmoreland) put runners on the corners with just one out, but a double play ended the rally.
Saint Vincent looked like it would add to its run total in the top of the seventh, but a bizarre 9-3-5-2-4-2-6 putout at the plate kept the score at 7-5. Kelly led off the bottom of the inning with a triple and came in an RBI groundout by Corbin. Unfortunately, the Bearcats recorded the final two outs to end the contest.
Though it didn't lead to victory, Kelly had a monster game at the plate. She went 4-for-4 with two runs score and an RBI, while coming a homerun shy of the cycle. Charnesky added a two-hit performance, as the Yellow Jackets tallied 10 total knocks.
Both teams struggled defensively, with each committing four errors.
Waynesburg got off to another quick start in game two. Kelly stroked out a one-out double in the bottom of the first, before coming home on a triple by sophomore
Meysa Heitmann (Morgantown, W.Va. / University). Foust proceeded to drive Heitmann home with an RBI single that made the score 2-0.
Two innings later, the Orange and Black grew its edge to 3-0 after Rohbeck singled and eventually sprinted home on a wild pitch.
The Bearcats got on the board in the top of the fourth to make the score 3-1. Waynesburg immediately got the tally back in the bottom of the fourth, when Corbin set another team homerun record by teeing off on her eighth long ball of the season. Earlier this year, she set the single-game mark with a trio of long balls against Mount Aloysius.
The Jackets seemed to take firm control of the contest in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a sacrifice fly produced by Rohbeck that sent Charnesky home to up the score to 5-1. However, the visitors weren't ready to give up just yet, as they plated a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to make the score 5-3.
The Bearcats put two runners on base with one out on the board, but freshman pitcher
Morgan Walt (Hunker, Pa. / Hempfield) and her defense showed their mettle by recording back-to-back groundouts to end the contest.
Walt improved to 8-0 on the season, despite battling through seven walks and nine hits, including seven singles over a complete game effort. The Jackets forced Saint Vincent to strand 10 opposing runners on base.
Foust and Corbin led a group of seven Jackets to record hits in the late game with two knocks each.
Waynesburg plays its final non-PAC games of the season on Thursday, when it hosts Penn State Behrend for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
