CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. -- The Washington & Jefferson baseball team scored six runs in the first three innings before hanging on late to advance past top-seeded Thomas More, 6-5, in the opening round of the 2015 Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.

The Presidents advance to play second-seeded Waynesburg on Friday, May 8 at 10 a.m. in the meeting of Thursday's two winners. The victor of that game will advance to Saturday's championship round, while the losing team will slip into an elimination game between the winner of Friday's first elimination game (1 p.m.), number three Thiel against Thomas More at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon.

On the very first postseason pitch of his collegiate career, freshman Gannon Rooney belted a solo home run to left field to open the game, his team-leading fourth of the season. A Kyle Smith RBI single through the left side later in the frame scored Anthony Paladino who had singled and moved up to second on a walk to Nick Vento, 2-0.

The host Saints were able to get a run back in the bottom of the first, after a lead-off double and single, a sacrifice fly plated the run before Riley Groves shut down the inning with his only two strike outs on the day.

The third inning led to W&J crossing home plate four times to build a 6-1 advantage. With one out, Paladino again singled and Vento reached on what was ruled an error despite multiple hops and the charging third baseman needing to make a perfect play to get the out. Derek Helbing stepped to the plate with two outs and laced a two-run double to the fence in left center before coming in to score on a single by Ryan Sciullo. Sciullo later capped the scoring in the inning by stealing second, advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher and then going home on an errant throw by the right fielder on the same play, 6-1.

Thomas More added one run in the fifth and sixth innings and two more in the seventh. The final out of the seventh involved the potential tying run being thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on a single through the right side, but Vento's throw was right on the money to Helbing who made the tag to end the threat.

Tim Mulvey closed out the game, earning his third save of the season, in tossing the final 1.2 innings of no-hit baseball with a strike out. Bryce Schnatterly worked 1.0 inning of scoreless relief and gave up three hits. Groves improved to a PAC-best 9-1 after working 6.1 innings and giving up eight hits and five runs (three earned) while striking out two, walking one and hitting two batters.

Helbing finished 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Paladino scored twice to go with two base knocks and Rooney added a single with his homer to finish 2-for-4 with an RBI and run. Nick Morton also contributed a pair of hits. Vento's lone hit was a double, with the sophomore walking once also.