The baseball team defeated La Roche in a doubleheader last Monday with a 6-5 win in game one, and 4-3 in game two. 

Both wins came in walk off fashion for the Yellow Jackets. 

Game one was back and forth all the way through. Waynesburg took a two to nothing lead in the first two innings, and La Roche fired back in the third and fourth to make it 4-2. By the seventh inning, the score was 5-3 with the Jackets trailing. Two runs in the bottom of the inning would send the game to extra innings, leading to the walk off victory. 

Senior Mike Bell hit a ground ball that bounced off of the pitcher’s mound and soared into center field to bring home second baseman Dalton Mount to win 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning. 

“It always feels good to get a win… especially in the fashion we did to start the season,” Mount said. “It was a great effort all around from the pitching staff keeping us in the game and the offense coming through with a lot of clutch hits in the late innings of the game.”

To start off game two, Waynesburg would give up two runs in the first two innings, and strand three men on base themselves. The middle three innings were at a stalemate as the next score came in the bottom of the sixth inning when freshman Garett Comer hit a base-clearing RBI double to right field giving the Jackets the seventh inning with a 3-2 lead. 

After picking off the runner at second base, Ethan Erhard gave up a homerun on the ensuing pitch to Redhawks’ Dimitri Gary. 

The game would be tied 3-3 entering the bottom of the seventh, and shortstop Todd Burner would be the savior in this game, driving another base hit into the outfield sealing the win at 4-3 in favor of Waynesburg.

“I feel we played really well overall, I think we can still touch up a few things like bunting and situational hitting with runners in scoring position,” Erhard said. 

With the team having to postpone its matchup against Pitt-Bradford, they will take a trip to Florida for spring break next week for a whole series worth of matchups. The team will travel to Auburndale, Florida during spring break.

The only day they will not play a game that week, will be Wednesday. Erhard said despite the busy schedule the pitchers will remain focused. 

“With Florida, pitchers are going to really have to lock in with pitching most days. With games almost everyday next week…we’re going to need every pitcher ready.”

The Yellow Jackets will return to Waynesburg on Mar. 13 to take on Hilbert in a double header. First pitch slated to be at 1 p.m.