WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson baseball team extended its win streak to seven games with a pair of wins over Waynesburg on Tuesday, March 26, in road PAC action. 

The Presidents took game one by an 8-4 final score, before winning game two, 8-2. The two victories today put the Red & Black's overall record at 10-7, in addition to their PAC record remaining perfect at 5-0. 


Game One
W&J opened the bout's scoring in the top of the first inning with an RBI single from James Artale (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), driving Spencer Howell (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood) home from second. 

With the game tied at 1-1 in the fourth, the Presidents took back the lead with a home run from freshman Jackson Russell (Burke, Va./Robinson). The rookie from Burke, Va. slammed his first collegiate homer over the left field wall to put the Red & Black up 2-1. 

The bout was decided in the sixth frame, as the Presidents scored six runs in the inning to take a commanding 8-1 advantage. Four of the six runs were tallied on RBI singles, while the remaining scores were due to a wild pitch and a fielding error.

Dante Dalesandro (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) and Howell led the Presidents by reaching base three times with two hits and a walk in the opener. Russell, Joey Bolick (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and Michael Zito (Nashville, Tenn./Hume-Fogg) also finished the game with two hits each. 

Senior Garrett Harstine (New Philadelphia, Ohio/New Philadelphia) got the start and picked up his third consecutive win. Harstine allowed four runs over 5.2 innings, while striking out five. 

Clay Martin (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) pitched a scoreless seventh to clinch the victory for the Red & Black. 


Game Two
The Presidents went ahead early in game two, taking advantage of Waynesburg's mistakes in the field. After earning a walk, Justin Griffin (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) stole second to get into scoring position. Following a wild pitch that moved him to third, the senior catcher got home on a fielding error by the third baseman. 

W&J added two runs to its lead in the fourth. The first score came on a double steal, as Adam Moore (Olean, N.Y./Archbishop Walsh) swiped home after Russell took second. Peter Kalinski (Washington, D.C./St. John's College) plated Russell from second with an RBI single to left. 

The lead ballooned to 8-0 following a strong sixth inning for the Red & Black. The Presidents scored four times in the frame, highlighted by Mullen Socha's (Independence, Ohio/St. Ignatius) two-run double. Kalinski and Howell also posted RBIs in the sixth. 

Tanner Gaerke (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) started the contest and allowed no runs in 6.0 innings. The senior pitcher was strong throughout his appearance, as he allowed his first hit in the sixth inning. 

Mitchell Taufer (Washington, Pa./Bishop Canevin) and Zito both made scoreless relief appearances. 

The Red & Black will continue conference play against Chatham on Saturday, March 30. The first game of the doubleheader is slated to start at 1 p.m.