WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 20) – The Waynesburg University baseball team vaulted into second place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) standings with a sweep of Allegheny at the Waynesburg University Baseball & Softball Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Alec Engelmore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler) crushed a go-ahead home run in the eighth to support Dalton Lucy's (Waynesburg, Pa. / West Greene) complete game victory in a 5-2 win in game one. An eight-run third inning powered the Jackets to a 12-5 victory in game two.
Waynesburg moves to 20-13 on the year and 13-4 in PAC play. Allegheny falls to 19-9, 10-4 PAC.
Game 1 – Waynesburg 5, Allegheny 2
The Jackets notched their first win over Allegheny in the seventh meeting between Waynesburg and the Gators.
Lucy and Allegheny starter Brent Herrmann both turned in quality starts as the ballgame was tied at two going into the eighth inning.
With one out and nobody on, Engelmore blasted a solo home run over the left field fence to give the Jackets a 3-2 edge and prompt an Allegheny pitching change.
The Jackets were not done in the eighth as Lane Ours (Moorefield, W.Va. / Moorefield) smacked a two-out double and scored on a two-bagger by Trent Giraffa (Hanover, Pa. / Delone Catholic). Garrett Comer (St. Albans, W.Va. / St. Albans) knocked in Giraffa with a base hit to push Waynesburg's lead to 5-2.
The Gators used a hit and error to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs in the ninth before a force out at second base ended the ballgame.
Allegheny led 1-0 with a run in the second inning before the Jackets responded with two in the bottom of the frame with Giraffa knocking an RBI single and another run scoring on an error. The Gators tied the game in the top of the third. The remained tied at two until Engelmore's long ball in the eighth.
Lucy picked up the complete game win for his sixth victory of the season. He allowed two earned runs on eight hits over nine innings.
Ours went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Engelmore scored twice and drove in a run with his solo home run. Giraffa had two hits, doubled and drove in a pair.
Game 2 – Waynesburg 12, Allegheny 5
Allegheny looked primed to open the second game with a big first innings as the Gators used three singles and a walk to take a 1-0 lead and load the bases with one out. The next batter hit a comebacker to Waynesburg starter Gavin Pratt, who began a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.
The Jackets responded with two runs in the home half of the first. Mount doubled to lead off the inning and scored on an Allegheny error and Engelmore knocked an RBI single.
The Gators took a 3-2 lead in the second with a run coming home on a groundout and another on a sacrifice fly.
The Jackets sent 13 batters to the plate and prompted two Allegheny pitching changes in an eight-run third inning. Todd Burner, Ours (Moorefield, W.Va. / Moorefield), Aidan Williams (Shaler, Pa. / Shaler), Comer and Mike Bell (Herminie, Pa. / Yough) each had RBI singles in the rally. Of the first 11 batters to step to the plate in the inning, 10 reached base safely.
The Gators opened the fifth inning with a double down the left-field line. Giraffa snared a line drive down the first-base line and doubled off the runner at second base to keep Allegheny off the scoreboard in the inning.
The Jackets added two runs in the fifth as Ours lifted a sacrifice fly and Williams drove in another run with a base hit.
Allegheny scratched across a run in each of the last two innings as the Jackets emerged with a 12-5 victory.
Pratt finished went nine innings for a complete game win. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits and struck out four.
Engelmore went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Bell and Williams both had two hits and two runs scored. Mount, Comer and Burner each scored twice.
Waynesburg takes on Chatham tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. WVU's Kendrick Family Ballpark in West Virginia.