WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College baseball team picked up their second win of the season in a familiar way with another 5-4 score over the Mount Union Purple Raiders.
 
The Presidents elevate to an untouched 2-0 record to start the season while Mount Union falls to 2-2.
 
Zac Stern (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) launched the Presidents' first home run of the season to kick off a two-inning scoring outburst. Jacob LaDuca (Clarence, N.Y./Canisius) and Andrew Miko (Portage, Pa./Portage) both led the team in hits with two each, including a double by Miko. Drew Garth (Glenshaw, Pa./North Hills), Brian Feldman (Gibsonia, Pa./Eden Christian Academy) and Brendan Cruz (Carnegie, Pa./Chartiers Valley) all also tacked on hits in the outing.
 
Nate Nolan (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) picked up the win for the Presidents in 3.1 inning of work in relief, fanning four batters. Brandon Bastian (Barto, Pa./The Hill School) picked up the save in the top of the ninth, escaping a bases loaded jam with no outs.
 
Following two one-hit innings in the first for both units, the Purple Raiders got on the board first. Mount Union tallied the first run of the game on an infield single, 1-0.
 
The Purple Raiders held the slim lead until the bottom of the sixth as Stern, the sophomore center fielder, ripped a homer to right field for W&J's first run of the night.
 
The Presidents carried their sixth inning momentum in the seventh, tallying four runs in the seventh. Knox Meier (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep) kicked off the production with a pinch-hit walk followed by a single to left field from LaDuca. After a popout from Garth, Dezenzo walked to juice the bases. Feldman ripped a screaming single up the middle of the infield to score the first two runs of the inning, adding two RBI to his line. Stern walked the next at bat to load the bases again, setting up for a sacrifice fly by Miko that scored Dezenzo on the initial hit. Through some miscues from the Purple Raiders third baseman, the Presidents managed to score Feldman to elevate the lead to 5-1.
 
Mount Union attempted a rapid response in the top of the eighth inning but only managed to add one run to reduce the W&J lead to three.
 
In the top of the ninth, the Purple Raiders managed to load the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch. Bastian came into the bases loaded jam picking up an immediate out on a fielder's choice, sacrificing a run, 5-3. After the first out of the inning, Bastain loaded the bases again with a walk but managed to get the next batter to fly out, scoring another run at the out's expense. The final Mount Union batter grounded out to grant Bastian with the save and W&J their second win, 5-4.
 
The Presidents get right back on the diamond tomorrow, Thursday (Feb. 27) to face the La Roche Redhawks. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.