On Monday, Feb 24, the Waynesburg University softball team opened up their season with a double header win against out of conference opponent Penn State Altoona.

Waynesburg won the first game 3-2 on a run by junior Kassidy Trimble in the bottom of the 6th. 

Doubles from senior Kaitlyn Jagielski and sophomore Brynn Charnesky put the Yellow Jackets up early, but hits from Penn State Altoona in the 6th inning tied the game late. Successful bunts from Waynesburg and a wild throw from Penn State Altoona led Trimble home for the winning run.

Trimble said the team’s victorious start to the season has a great feeling to it.

“It feels great. It’s always a great feeling when you feel as if you made an impact on the game,” Trimble said. “As a team, it’s always nice to have a good start to the season to prove ourselves, [to show] that our hard work is paying off, and to instill confidence in ourselves early in the season.”

The second game was a completely different story, with Waynesburg winning 14-0.

Thirteen different players scored for Waynesburg and nine of the runs came in the bottom of the second inning with two outs.

Freshman Meysa Heitmann hit her first collegiate home run, followed by junior Bella DeMark’s two run single, senior Breanna Rice’s RBI double, and freshman Tori Foust’s triple to center field. Senior Dilyn Roberts was the only player to score twice in the shut out. 

Junior pitcher Autumn Stemple threw a two hit game before the run-rule came into effect after the 5th inning.

“We definitely started out on the right foot this season with two wins. I think we can all agree that we still have a lot of room for improvement in these few weeks before Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC)  play starts,” Stemple said. “We have been consistently making progress in practice and working hard individually too. A big part of our team’s success is going to involve buying into the growth and development of our team.”

Pitching has been a major part of Waynesburg’s success over the last few years and will continue to be an asset this season.

“As far as pitching, things have looked very different for us this year,” Stemple said. “With the addition of our pitching coach, Anna Gatti, we have had more dedicated time in practices for expanding our skill set and knowledge of the position. Having a durable and dominant pitching staff can easily be intimidating to other opponents. As a team, we benefit in the sense that everyone is confident in our ability to do our jobs, allowing them to do the same.”

The softball team will be back in action over spring break in Myrtle Beach in the FastPitch Dreams Spring Classic. Their first game of the tournament will be on Sunday, March 2, against Spartanburg Methodist.