WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College (5-7, 1-1) split the opening two games of Presidents' Athletic Conference play against the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets (12-4, 1-1). W&J opened the afternoon with a 4-2 win before falling 6-2 in game two.
 
W&J 4, Waynesburg 2 (Game 1)
 
Senior Kaylee Witner (Freeland, Pa./MMI Preparatory School) and freshman Jacie Hilligsberg (South Park, Pa./South Park) led the way for the Presidents offensively in the win. Both hitters went 2-for-3 from the plate. Witner picked up three RBIs and Hilligsberg scored a run.
 
Both teams found the offense early by trading runs in the second inning. Waynesburg got on the board first from a single and advancing the runners on a fielder's choice. W&J responded with a single by Hilligsberg to start a rally. Sophomore Anna Luxenberger (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) threw down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner and Witner doubled to score Hilligsberg.
 
A strong top of the third defensively helped set up a three-run bottom half for W&J. Junior Mirranda Rinehart (Washington, Pa./Trinity) got hit by a pitch before singles from seniors Deanna Gratton (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) and Hannah Allen (Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford) moved the runner to third. A. Luxemberger reached on a fielder's choice to score Rinehart. In the following at bat, Witner singled up the middle to clear the bases and give W&J a 4-1 lead.
 
Waynesburg found one run back in the top of the fourth before W&J closed out the game with three efficient defensive innings.
 
Witner only needed 17 pitches on the mound in the final three innings to secure the complete game win for W&J. Overall, Witner threw 93 pitches throughout the 7.0 inning contest. The senior had three strikeouts and only gave up five hits to pick up the second win of the season.
 
W&J 2, Waynesburg 6 (Game Two)
 
Allen and senior Julia DiPietro-Harvey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) led the Presidents in game two of the PAC doubleheader. DiPietro-Harvey batted 2-for-4 with one run scored. Additionally, Allen finished game two 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
 
Similar to game one, the two teams traded runs early as W&J took a 2-1 lead after the end of the first inning. Singles from Rinehart and DiPietro-Harvey set up a double from Allen that sent the two runners home.
 
Back-to-back home runs from the Yellow Jackets broke the game open in the third. Waynesburg found two more runs in the fourth and fifth innings to close out the scoring and take a 6-2 lead.
 
The Presidents tried to put together a rally offensively, but the Waynesburg defense held strong to keep runs from scoring.
 
Sophomore Macayle Thornhill (Warren, Ohio/Jackson-Milton) had one strike out in 2.0 innings pitched. Freshmen Haylee Young (Zanesville, Ohio/John Glenn) and Braelyn Altman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) both came in for relief. Young threw 25 pitches in 2.0 innings of work. Altman had 48 pitches thrown with two strikeouts in the final 3.0 innings.
 
W&J returns to the diamond when they travel to take on the Grove City Wolverines on Wednesday (March 25). Game one of the PAC doubleheader will begin at 3:30 p.m.