In opening conference games of the season, Jackets extend losing streak

After dropping two games against Thomas More, baseball is now in a 10 game slide

After the first four games of the season, Waynesburg University’s baseball team was unbeaten.

Now, with two Presidents’ Athletic Conference contests complete, the Yellow Jackets are 4-10, with a pair of losses at Thomas More in Friday afternoon’s double-header adding to a now 10-game losing streak.

The Saints, who finished second in the PAC with a 15-7 record last season, were picked to finish just behind defending champions Washington & Jefferson in this year’s preseason poll. Despite Thomas More’s pedigree, Waynesburg head coach Mike Humiston doesn’t see a significant gap between the two teams.

“We have to find ways to beat teams like Thomas More,” Humiston said. “They’re a good baseball team, but I’d like to think so are we.”

The Saints won the first game, 3-2. Thomas More got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning when junior catcher Sam Hauer singled off of Waynesburg sophomore starting pitcher Mason Miller, scoring senior second baseman Ben Laumann.

The Jackets took the lead in the next half inning, however, when a two-run home run by sophomore right fielder Brenden Kohan—his second of the season—made it 2-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Hauer and Laumann scored the tying, and go-ahead runs for TMC on a double by junior first baseman Sean Lawrence. Three Saints pitchers—sophomore Justin Ward, junior Jonathan Breeden and Lawrence—kept the Jackets off the scoreboard in relief of senior starter Branden Eliadis, who allowed two earned runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four over 4 1-3 innings of work.

Ward won his first decision of the season, and Lawrence picked up his first save, pitching a scoreless ninth inning. For Waynesburg, Miller fell to 1-3, allowing three earned runs on five hits, walking three and striking out five over 4 2-3 innings.

Amid the losing streak, head coach Mike Humiston sees Miller—who has allowed three runs or less three of his four starts this season—as a positive sign going forward.

“I think he’s one of our few bright spots,” Humiston said. “Certainly the coaching staff and the players feel like he gives us a very good shot at competing and having the chance to win a baseball game if he’s out there. He’s done a good job so far this year, and the teams we’re going to play in the future are going to see him on the mound quite a bit.”

Offensively, Hauer went 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI for the Saints, while Lawrence went 2 for 4 with two RBIs. For the Jackets, junior second baseman Tyler Reis went 2 for 5.

Despite Waynesburg outhitting the Saints 9 to 5 and having runners in scoring position in seven of its nine at-bats, they left 11 men on base.

“We had plenty of chances to beat them, certainly in the first game, and didn’t get it done,” Humiston said. “That’s kind of been our story for the last 10 losses.”

In the second game, Thomas More set the tone for the rest of a 9-0 win by scoring two unearned runs off of Waynesburg sophomore starter Jonny Kutchman in the bottom of the first. After allowing an earned run in the second inning, Kutchman was relieved by senior Noah Lolley, who allowed two earned runs over four innings of relief.  The Saints scored three more times in the bottom of the eighth off of junior Ty Wickline.

Three Thomas More players had three or more hits, with Laumann, Lawrence and junior centerfielder Blaise Ostertag combining to go 10 for 14. Lawrence went 4 for 4 with an RBI, while Hauer went 2 for 4 with four RBIs. Thomas More’s offense was more than enough for its starting pitcher, senior Jayson Essell. Essell threw 6 1-3 scoreless innings for the win, allowing seven hits while walking none and striking out four. He is now 1-2 on the year. Kutchman fell to 0-2 with the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits over just two innings of work.

The Jackets’ defense made a combined three errors over the two games. After having the second-fewest miscues in the PAC last season, the Jackets already have 32 in 2018, with more than half the season left to play. Although Waynesburg graduated several key members of its defense, including three regular infielders, head coach Mike Humiston doesn’t see inexperience as an alibi.

“Tyler Reis is still playing for us, [sophomore infielder] Justin Beubral is still playing for us… So we’re not going to use [inexperience] as an excuse.” Humiston said. “We still have to field the ball and throw the ball and do all those things that [define] the basics of baseball. We’re on a 10 game losing streak, and that’s not very good.”

With the sweep, the Saints are now 4-7 and 2-0 in conference action. Waynesburg’s next contest will be at home with two games against Penn-State Behrend from the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  Last season, the two teams split a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

For Humiston, it’s up to the players to handle the adversity of a long losing streak.

“We’re not in a good place right now, but our guys [can either] accept mediocrity, or suck it up and get better,” Humiston said. “They have to do that in a hurry.”