NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (April 9) – The Waynesburg University baseball team earned a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) sweep at Westminster on Tuesday afternoon.
The Jackets scored in six consecutive innings and never trailed in an 8-5 victory in game one. Waynesburg scored multiple runs in the second, third, eighth and ninth innings to support a nine inning, 145-pitch, complete game performance by Ryan Opfer (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) in the second game.
The Jackets run their PAC win streak to five straight games as Waynesburg rises to 15-10 on the season and 8-1 in conference play. Westminster falls to 10-13, 4-4 PAC.
With the sweep, Waynesburg surpassed its win total from each of last four seasons. The Jackets are off to their best start to PAC play through nine conference game in over 20 years.
Game 1 – Waynesburg 8, Westminster 5
Seth Burgdolt (Taylorstown, Pa. / McGuffey), the reigning PAC Hitter of the Week, got the scoring started in the top of the third with a two-run home run. Hunter Hamilton (Holbrook, Pa. / West Greene) singled home Lane Ours (Moorefield, W.Va. / Moorefield) in the fourth to give the Jackets an early 3-0 edge.
The Titans struck back in the home half of the fourth. Waynesburg starter Dalton Lucey (Waynesburg, Pa. / West Greene) recorded two quick outs before a hit batter was followed by back-to-back singles to score Westminster's first run. The Titans saw their inning extended with an error and brought the score to 3-2 with another base hit. With the bases loaded, Lucy coaxed a pop up to second to close the innings with the Jackets leading by a run.
Waynesburg responded with a run in the fifth and another in the sixth. Garrett Comer (St. Albans, W.Va. / St. Albans) knocked in Burgdolt with a two-out single and Hamilton scored on a groundout in the sixth to give the Jackets a 5-2 edge. An intentional walk to Burgdolt loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth but a flyout concluded the half inning.
The first six batters the Titans sent to the plate in the sixth reached base safely. A walk and two hit batters with the bases loaded tied the game at five with nobody out. Reliever Mike McCready (Greensburg, Pa. / Greensburg Central Catholic) limited the damage with a foul out that was followed by a double play with Dalton Mount (Sykesville, Md. / Westminster) snagging a line drive and doubling off the runner on second to end the frame.
A pair of walks preceded a two-run error as the Jackets went ahead 7-5 in the seventh. Comer gave Waynesburg some more breathing room with an RBI single to plate Burgdolt in the eighth.
McCready sat down Westminster in the eighth and ninth innings to seal the 8-5 win.
The Jackets reached base in all nine innings and finished with 14 hits and eight walks.
Burgdolt went 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, three runs scored and a walk. Comer went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Ours walked three times and scored twice. Hamilton had two hits, an RBI, a walk and two runs scored.
Lucy went 5.0 innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits. He struck out seven and walked five. McCready allowed just one hit and one walk in four innings of relief. He posted three strikeouts and earned his second win of the season. The Jackets have won all seven of Lucy's starts this season.
Game 2 – Waynesburg 11, Westminster 3
The Titans had a hit batter and a throwing error turn into a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two with a two-run double plating the game's first runs. Westminster had runners at the corners with two outs before Burgdolt threw out a Titan attempting to steal second to halt the early rally.
Waynesburg responded with three runs in the third. A sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout tied the game at two before Hamilton smacked a two-out single to score Gavin Pratt (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels Area) and hand the Jackets a 3-2 edge.
Westminster loaded the bases with one out in the third but came up empty as Opfer sat down the next to batters he faced with a foul out and flyout.
The Jackets struck for three more runs in the third. Pratt worked a bases loaded walk and Ours brought home two more runs with a two-out double to grow the Waynesburg lead to 6-2.
The score remained 6-2 until the eighth. Mount plated a pair of runs with a base hit and Hamilton scampered home on a wild pitch to make it 9-2 ballgame. Westminster scratched across another run before Opfer worked out of the inning.
Ours knocked in two more runs with a single up the middle in the ninth to score Comer and Burgdolt. Opfer finished the job in the bottom of the ninth to secure the nine inning complete game win. He allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits.
Ours, Comer and Mount each had two hits. Ours doubled and drove in five, Comer scored twice and Mount had two RBI, walked twice and stole a pair of bases. Burgdolt scored three times. Pratt scored twice, drove in a run and walked.
The Jackets host Franciscan in a PAC doubleheader tomorrow at 1:00 p.m..