WAYNESBURG, Pa. – Strong pitching performances by Cody Northcott (Cochranton, Pa./Cochranton) and Nick Rossmiller (Butler, Pa./Butler), as well as a 13-hit effort at the plate led the Thiel College baseball team to a 3-2 Presidents' Athletic Conference victory over Waynesburg University on a rain soaked Wednesday afternoon.
 
Junior Nick Schiavoni (Boiling Spring, Pa./Trinity) and Rossmiller each went 3-for-4 at the plate while seven other Thiel (19-15, 12-6 PAC) hitters collected a hit. On the other hand, Waynesburg (16-16, 7-11 PAC) was stymied by Thiel's pitchers all day and stranded eight runners in the nine-inning contest.
 
Leading 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Rossmiller, who played the first eight innings at first base, replaced Northcott (7-3) on the mound, inheriting a two-on and no-out situation. Rossmiller struck out the first batter he faced, and catcher Dan Koller (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) threw a rope down to third base to nail the stealing lead runner on a strikeout, throw out double play. Rossmiler then got a game-ending groundout to end the threat and earn his first collegiate save.
 
The Tomcats got their offense going early in the day when they strung together five hits in the top of the second, capped off by a RBI-single to right field by Schiavoni and a RBI-double to left center by sophomore Trent Mosley (South Euclid, Ohio/Brush). With one out, sophomore Cody Trinch (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) notched the fourth hit of the inning by sending a shot through the right side, but the Jackets' Ben Shorthouse was able to throw Mosley out at the plate when he attempted to score from second base.
 
The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the third when an RBI-double to left center scored the lead runner for the Jackets and cut the Tomcat lead in half.
 
The Jackets struck again in the bottom of the sixth as consecutive one-out singles gave Waynesburg runners on the corners. A sacrifice bunt by Tim Chilcote scored the runner from third, which forced a 2-2 tie.
 
After both sides went hitless in the seventh, the Tomcats caught two-out lightning in the top of the eighth. After the first two batters struck out, Rossmiller got things started with a single through the right side. After advancing to second on a passed ball, he came all the way around to score on an RBI-single by Schiavoni to give Thiel a 3-2 lead.
 
Northcott continued to work himself out of jams in the bottom of the eighth as the Jackets collected back-to-back two-out singles before Chilcote popped out to the shortstop to end the threat.
 
Northcott was relieved by Rossmiller after he let the first two batters reached base in the bottom of the ninth. Rossmiller did the rest, closing the door on a potential Waynesburg rally by retiring the first two batters he faced.
 
Northcott went eight innings, allowing two earned runs on nine hits while striking out three. Rossmiller pitched a hitless inning of relief, striking out one.
 
The Tomcats will be back in action Friday when they host the Grove City Wolverines at Tomcat Park. The nine-inning game is set to start at 3 p.m.