This past weekend, the Yellow Jacket softball team hit the road for a nonconference twin-bill at Penn State Fayette where they left with two more wins on the young season.

The Yellow Jackets (4-8) picked up an 11-0 win in five innings in the first game. Waynesburg displayed its offense early, scoring seven runs over the first three innings. Head coach Brett Shimek credits the team’s patience at the plate for the success.

“We understood the strike zone, we were patient and waited for our pitches,” said Shimek. “When that happens, you put pressure on defenses by having runners on base and making the pitcher put it in the zone.”

Senior first baseman Alex Lawrence led the offensive charge with a home run, while classmate Courtney Messenger notched five scoreless innings en route to picking up the win in the circle. Shimek believes Lawrence and Messenger have taken on leadership roles this year because of their passion for the game.

“They’re definitely two of our leaders, very experienced players that most of our teammates look up to [as] on-field coaches,” said Shimek. “I could see both of them being coaches after their careers here.”

The second half of the doubleheader resulted in the fourth Jacket win of season, but it took a little more in terms of game length and play style, with Waynesburg defeating the Roaring Lions 13-6 in a full seven inning contest.

“Offense comes and goes but defense is always there,” said Shimek. “I felt like those were our best two defensive performances of the year. We probably made three or four diving catches in the outfield and that’s what we stressed after we came back up here [from Myrtle Beach] – just better defensive play because those one run games we lost down there we very easily could’ve won. Defensively we’re great.”

Junior Courtney Syfert hit her first career home run in the game and fell just a double shy of a cycle as she drove in two runs and scored three in the contest.

Sophomore Emma Kubalak picked up her second victory of the season in the circle for the Yellow Jackets with a complete game effort.

Moving into the next few weeks, the team will face situations that include playing four games in two days, but according to Shimek that isn’t anything different for softball or his group of athletes.

“These young ladies are used to it,” said Shimek. “They all played travel ball growing up and on a good travel weekend you’ll play about nine games over Saturday and Sunday. The more games we play in a small amount of time will make sure we have the energy we need in doubleheaders moving forward.”

As the season moves closer to Presidents’ Athletic Conference play, however, Shimek and his team hold a unique approach to the 38-game regular season schedule.

“We split the season into four seasons, so obviously in the first 10 games we didn’t live up to where we wanted to be,” said Shimek. “We’re concentrating on the second 10 games now which is everything before PAC season. We have a specific record and goal where we want to be. We want to be .500 for the first time in 10 or 12 years and we want to make the PAC playoffs, but we’re trying to manage the season in shorter time frames so that we can keep our eyes on the goals.”

Waynesburg will be back in action over the weekend with a home doubleheader Friday against Mount Aloysius and then a road trip for two against Pitt-Greensburg Saturday.