WAYNESBURG, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College softball team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference play with a doubleheader sweep over host Waynesburg Yellow Jackets on Friday afternoon in Greene County. The Presidents took game one by a 7-5 margin before securing a 7-4 victory in game two. The Presidents scored 12 of their 14 runs with two outs during Friday's sweep. 
 
Game 1 – W&J 7, Waynesburg 5
 
Hannah Allen (Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford) led the offense with three doubles and two RBI in the victory. Deanna Gratton (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) and Mirranda Rinehart (Washington, Pa./Trinity) also pieced together multi-hit efforts for the Presidents. 
 
W&J scored early and often in game one. The Presidents scored in each of the first three innings. 
 
The Presidents put up three runs in the opening frame. A groundout to second base with the bases loaded pushed in the first run before a double by Allen scored two more to stretch the lead to 3-0 in the first. 
 
A single to right center field from Rinehart in the top of the second pushed another runner home to extend the advantage to 4-0. Waynesburg tallied their first run in the bottom of the frame to make it a 4-1 deficit. 
 
W&J answered in the top of the next inning by putting runners on second and third in scoring position. A single to left field by Gratton scored the pair to stretch the lead to 6-1 for the Red and Black. The Presidents were held scoreless in the top of the fourth. Waynesburg took advantage and scored a runner in the bottom of the frame to make it 6-2. 
 
Allen doubled and scored on an RBI single by Gratton that made it 7-2 Presidents in the fifth. 
 
Waynesburg put up one run in the sixth inning and two in the bottom of the seventh. The Yellow Jackets brought the potential game-tying run to the plate but the Presidents escaped with the game one win.
 
Taylor Dunn (Washington, Pa./Trinity) improved her record to 4-2 with the complete game win. Dunn struck out six a season-high six batters. 
 
Game 2 – W&J 7, Waynesburg 4
 
Waynesburg built an early lead in game two. The Yellow Jackets held the Presidents' offense down and built a 2-0 lead after three innings of play. 
 
The Presidents found the scoreboard in the top of the fourth as a sacrifice fly from freshman Savannah Bodnar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) added another run. Allen led off the inning with a single and was pushed to third on a single to centerfield from Kyra Blauth (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) before the sacrifice fly cut the Waynesburg lead to 2-1. 
 
W&J turned the tides in the fifth inning with a four-run inning. A double to left field from Allen scored a pair to give W&J its first lead at 3-2. Blauth followed with an RBI single to scored Allen to make it 4-2 Presidents. Following a pitching change by Waynesburg, the Presidents tacked on an insurance run when a single up the middle by Aliya Schraeder (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) scored Blauth. 
 
Allen and Bodnar singled in the seventh. After Gratton was hit by a pitch to load the bases, the Red & Black added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a throwing error by the Yellow Jackets.
 
Waynesburg scored once in the seventh but W&J was able to secure the final three outs for the victory. 
 
Macayle Thornhill (Warren, Ohio/Jackson-Milton) got the win in the circle after putting in six innings of work. Dunn recorded the final three outs to nail down the victory. 
 
Up Next: The Presidents return to action on Tuesday (March 25) at Brooks Park in Washington, Pa. as they host Pitt-Greensburg for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.