WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College softball team battled to a doubleheader sweep of conference rival and two-time defending PAC champion Waynesburg University Tuesday afternoon at Brooks Park.
The pair of one-run wins gives W&J its first conference sweep of the season. The Presidents are now 7-9 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Waynesburg drops to 14-7 overall and 5-3 in PAC play. Tuesday's doubleheader marked the first time since 2021 that Waynesburg had been swept in a road doubleheader.
Game 1 – W&J 3, Waynesburg 2
Waynesburg's Grace Higgins opened the game with a leadoff triple and scored two batters later when Trinity Edge delivered a run-scoring single for the Yellow Jackets.
W&J quickly answered back with two runs in the bottom of the frame.
Aliya Schraeder (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) would lead things off with a single followed by a double from freshman utility
Miranda Rinehart (Washington, Pa. / Trinity), which put a pair of runners into scoring position.
Hannah Allen (Harrison City, Pa. / Penn-Trafford) would knock in Schraeder with an RBI groundout.
Kyra Blauth (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) followed with an RBI single up the middle to bring Rinehart home to take the lead, 2-1.
The score remained 2-1 until Waynesburg tied things up in the top of the fifth with an RBI double by reigning PAC Newcomer of the Week Sydney Waryanka.
W&J reclaimed the lead for good in the bottom of the frame on an RBI triple by Allen to score Rinehart.
Despite a hit for the Yellow Jackets in the sixth and seventh innings, Waynesburg was unable to close the deficit before the close of the game. The Yellow Jackets put a pair of runners into scoring position with one out in the seventh. However, the Presidents were able to escape the jam as
Jordan Hinz (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) struck out Waryanka and induce a foulout by Ella Brookman to end the game.
Schraeder, Rinehart, Allen, Blauth, and
Julia DiPietro-Harvey (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Taylor Allderdice), all contributed in the W&J offense with a hit each in the first game.
Kaylee Witner (Freeland, Pa./MMI Preparatory School) started and registered the win. Witner struck out five and issued no walks during a strong 6.1 innings of work. Witner allowed two runs on seven hits. Hinz recorded the final two outs to notch the save in her second-straight outing.
Game 2 – W&J 4, Waynesburg 3
Both teams were slow offensively to start with neither team scoring in the first two innings.
Waynesburg would break things open in top of the third, getting on the board first with a two-run home run by Brookman. The home run gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 lead which they maintained until the middle innings.
After shutting Waynesburg down in the top of each frame, W&J went on to slowly chip away the deficit, scoring a run each in the fourth and fifth innings. Allen led off with a double and scored on a clutch two-out RBI single by
Deanna Gratton (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway).
W&J evened up the score with more clutch hitting in the fifth. Rinehart came through once again, as the freshman laced a RBI triple to knot the score at 2-2.
Waynesburg regained the lead in the top of the sixth when Edge led off with a double and later scored on a RBI single by Emma Bliss.
W&J loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth. However, a pop out and a double play ball helped Waynesburg escape with the lead en tact.
The Presidents would retire the Yellow Jackets in order in the top of the seventh.
Trailing by one run and down to its final three outs, Schraeder ripped a double to right center to immediately put a runner in scoring position. A bunt single by DiPietro-Harvey advanced Schraeder to third. DiPietro-Harvey then advanced to second to put a pair of runners into scoring position for the Presidents.
The Red & Black would then win in dramatic fashion as Rinehart hit a sacrifice fly to left field that would score Schraeder. With the throw in to third off its target, DiPietro-Harvey raced home to give W&J the dramatic walk-off 4-3 win for the sweep.
Gratton led the team with two hits and Rinehart finished with two RBI in game two.
On Deck: The Presidents will have little time to enjoy its biggest conference sweep in quite some time. W&J returns to action on Wednesday, April 10 when they host Geneve College in Washington. The first pitch in game one is set for 3:30 p.m. at Brooks Park.
