WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Washington & Jefferson hit six homers between the two games, but a three-run shot by Thomas More in the seventh inning of game one gave the Saints an 8-7 win in the opener before the Presidents battled back for a 9-2 victory in the nightcap.

With the split, W&J moves to 23-15 overall this year and 15-8 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. A W&J win in the series finale on Sunday, May 8 at noon, or a Waynesburg loss in either of the Yellow Jackets games against Westminster on Sunday, secures a PAC Tournament bid for the reigning league champion Presidents. Thomas More, who has already clinched the league's top spot and hosting rights for next week's conference tournament, enters the final game of the regular season at 26-8 overall and 20-3 in the PAC, one victory shy of tying the 2014 Presidents for the league's best record at 21-3.
 
In the opener, an RBI ground out by Frank Fortunato opened the scoring in the bottom of the first and Nick Vento stole home later in the inning to put W&J ahead, 2-0. Both teams scored a run in the second, with Michael Ruffing plating Nick Morton on an RBI double for W&J, 3-1.
 
Vento homered to straight-away center in the third to extend the lead to 4-1, but the Saints struck for three in the top of the fourth to knot the score at 4-4. The Presidents got two of the runs back in the bottom half of the frame as Adam LaRue brought in Mark Merlino on an RBI fielder's choice and Vento walked with the bases loaded, 6-4. Merlino then belted his second homer of the year and first of the day to give W&J a 7-4 lead after five innings.
 
The guests, however, were able to strike for four in the top of the seventh, including three on one swing by All-American Donovan Pogue – a three-run homer to left, to the 8-7 lead and hold on for the victory in the bottom of the inning.
 
Trevor Kerr received a no-decision after working 4.0 innings and giving up five hits and four runs. Joe Vita was responsible for three of the four runs in the seventh inning, going 2.2 innings and giving up four hits. Derek Helbing (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing the homer to Pogue.
 
Vento finished the opener 3-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and two runs. Morton joined him with a multi-hit game in going 2-for-3.
 
Dan Trettel opened the scoring in the second inning of the second game with his first career homer, a two-run shot to right center. Morton and Ruffing delivered back-to-back singles which allowed LaRue to bring home Morton on an RBI bunt single. The four-run frame closed out the scoring on Helbing's RBI ground out, 4-0.
 
Thomas More got on the board with a run in the top of the third, but back-to-back homers by Ryan Sciullo and Merlino gave W&J a 6-1 lead. The guests added their final tally in the fourth, while W&J added on with two in the fifth thanks to a triple off the top of the fence in right center by Trettel and an RBI ground out by Morton, 8-2. Vento capped the scoring with his team-leading sixth homer of the season and second of the day, a solo shot to straight-away center.
 
Sciullo, Merlino, Trettel and Morton all had two hits in the night cap, with both of Trettel's going for extra bases and driving in three, and Merlino adding his second homer of the day and third in the last five games.
 
The four home runs that the Presidents hit in the second game represent the most in a game for W&J in exactly six years to the day, when the Red & Black exploded for eight homers against Waynesburg on May 7, 2010.
 
Riley Groves went the distance to improve to 7-2 on the season, yielding just six hits and two runs (one earned), with a pair of strike outs and a walk, plus 10 ground outs and eight fly outs.