Waynesburg University Baseball won both games on Saturday’s doubleheader against Allegheny College.

In game one, Waynesburg trailed 1-0 after the second inning, but quickly overcame the deficit with a Trent Giraffa RBI single, including another run which scored on an error.

Allegheny answered quickly in the top of the third, and the game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth inning.

In the bottom half of the eighth inning, both starters for Waynesburg, Dalton Lucy, and Allegheny, Brent Herrmann, were still on the mound. But with one out and no runners on base, Alec Engelmore hit a solo homerun for his first of the year to give Waynesburg the 3-2 lead.

Herrmann was replaced after the homerun.

 “I knew they were going to attack me with heavy off-speed, so I was sitting slider. The kid (Herrmann) hung a slider and once I hit it, I knew it was gone,” Engelmore said.  “It was a great feeling knowing my homerun was the winning run against one of the top teams in the conference (PAC).”

Engelmore also spoke on what the hit meant for him as a hitter moving forward.

“That hit was definitely a confidence booster for me, and I hope to carry it into the playoffs.”

Offensive Insurance was applied after Engelmore’s homerun, as Giraffa and Garrett Comer also had RBI hits.

This was Lucey’s first start since his start at Washington and Jefferson where he would throw four innings and give up eight runs.

 “I didn’t have my best stuff against W&J. This game is a great confidence booster to come back and beat Allegheny,” Lucey said.

Lucy finished the ninth inning out for a complete game, and his sixth win of the season.

He said despite not having many strikeouts on the year, he isn’t worried to let the defense play.  

“I like to thank my defense. I’m not scared to let them (opponents) make contact and let my defense make plays.”

Throughout game two there were several lead changes before the third inning started.

Allegheny opened the game with a 1-0 lead in the top half of the first. Waynesburg answered at once and took the lead 2-1 in the bottom half. Allegheny did not shy away as they took the lead back in the second, 3-2.

The third inning, however, Waynesburg scored eight runs.

Scoring in the bottom half of the third opened with a Todd Burner RBI that scored Mike Bell. After the initial RBI, four different Waynesburg players also had an RBI in the inning; Aidan Williams, Dalton Mount, Garrett Comer, Engelmore, and Bell had two RBIs in the third with a single to center.

After the electric third from Waynesburg, they gave themselves a 10-3 lead.

Lane Ours and Williams added an RBI to each side of their stat sheets in the fifth inning.

A late offensive attack attempt from Allegheny with a JD Robinson homerun in the eighth, and a Grant Dowden RBI single in the ninth, was nowhere near enough to complete the comeback.

After the explosive third inning, Waynesburg held on to the seven-run lead with a victory over Allegheny.

Waynesburg sat 20-3 overall and 13-4 in PAC play before traveling to Morgantown, West Virginia to face the Chatham Cougars in a one game matchup.

The Yellow Jackets wrapped up the week at the Kendrick Family Ballpark in Morgantown, West Virginia for a PAC duel with the Chatham Cougars.

It was the second of the originally scheduled doubleheader on April 5th, which was halted after game one due to inclement weather.

Waynesburg found themselves down 7-4 heading into the final inning, but an offensive explosion saw the Yellow Jackets plate 11 runs on 12 hits in the ninth to give them a thrilling 15-7 victory.

Giraffa extended his on base streak to 19 games in the win and tallied 5 RBI for the Yellow Jackets.

“Whenever I am at the plate in a big situation, I just try to keep myself calm. I take deep breaths to slow the heart rate and to focus on the job that I must do,” Giraffa said. “I just try to remember it’s a kid’s game and to just try and have fun with the situation and do a job.”

Giraffa recorded a three-RBI triple in the fourth inning to tie the game at three at the time, and a two-RBI single in the ninth which extended the lead to 10-7.

The win for Waynesburg was their 21st of the season, their most since 2019, and officially clinched their spot in the PAC playoffs.

“I think it’s nice to already have a playoff spot on lock,” Giraffa said. That has been the goal since the start of the season and to finally see it come to fruition means a lot to all the guys.”

Waynesburg is back in action on April 23, when they travel to Grove City for their final PAC matchup of the regular season. Game one of the doubleheader starts at 1 p.m.