DAVENPORT, Fla. – The Washington & Jefferson College baseball team (5-2) split with the Calvin Knights (4-4) during a doubleheader on day two of the 2026 RussMatt Invitational. The Knights took the opener by a 7-3 score while the Presidents won game two, 7-0.
Game One – Calvin 7, W&J 3
Keegan Carr (Irwin, Pa./Norwin / Indiana University of Pennsylvania) was the sole President to tally two hits in game one, going 2-for-4 with two singles.
Josh Dezenzo (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington),
Jack Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum),
Brian Feldman (Gibsonia, Pa./Eden Christian Academy) and
Seth Rosenfeld (Ellicott City, Md./Long Reach) all had hits in the opener as well.
Calvin put up six runs in the opening innings of play to kick off the doubleheader. The Knights held the Presidents at bay until the fourth inning, allowing one baserunner the first three innings.
Down 7-0, the Presidents gained their footing offensively in the bottom of the fourth as a Feldman double to right field scored Dezenzo from second off of his initial double.
In the bottom of the sixth, Anderson launched his first home run of the season. The sophomore bashed a two-run shot over the left field fence to reduce the Knights' edge to 7-3. W&J left three runners stranded through the final two innings as Calvin escaped the seven-inning opener of the doubleheader.
Ben Pierce (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) and
Jonah Meyer (Centreville, Va./Westfield) each posted scoreless outings in the final three innings. Pierce pitched 2.0 innings with three strikeouts while Meyer pitched the top of the seventh inning.
Game Two – W&J 7, Calvin 0
The Presidents flipped the script on the Knights in game two, seeing
Carl Wagner (Honey Brook, Pa./Westtown School) and Dezenzo shine offensively in the victory. Wagner logged his first career hit and homerun of his career, finishing 2-for-4 on the day with all four of the team's RBIs. Dezenzo finished a flawless 2-for-2 in game two with two walks.
Tyler Maddix (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin),
Zac Stern (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) and
Alex Shank (McDonald, Pa./Canon-McMillan) all had hits on the day as well.
W&J stacked runs in two key innings in the victory, coming in the fourth and seventh frames. A Stern bunt inflicted a throwing error from the opposing pitcher, allowing Dezenzo to score the first run of the game in the top of the fourth. A wild pitch scored Anderson as
Paddy Hernjak (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) stole second. After a walk by
Andrew Miko (Portage, Pa./Portage) to put runners on first and second, Wagner stepped up to the plate in a bunt situation. The junior catcher faked the bunt and slapped a three-run home run down the left field line to put the Presidents up 5-0. That marked the first career hit and homer for the Presidents' catcher.
W&J added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning to go up, 7-0. The Presidents scored runs on a throwing error and single off the bat of Wagner.
The Presidents' pitching staff tossed a dominant outing in game two, featuring the second win of the season for right-hander
Brendan Cruz (Carnegie, Pa./Chartiers Valley). Cruz pitched 6.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Luke Alvarez (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) pitched 1.0 inning of relief, fanning two of the three batters he faced to close the win.
W&J returns to the diamond in Auburndale, Fla. at the Lake Myrtle fields to face the RIT Tigers on Tuesday (March 10). The single-game contest is scheduled for a 10:15 a.m. start.
