The Waynesburg University softball team was swept in a double-header by Presidents’ Athletic Conference opponent, Washington and Jefferson College this past Friday, March 21. 

Game one ended with a final score of 7-5. W&J came out hot, scoring four of their seven total runs in the first two innings. Waynesburg got its first run in the second inning when freshman Meysa Heitmann had a RBI double and brought home senior Dilyn Roberts from second base. 

Senior Grace Higgins, who had one of the five RBI’s in this game, said that Heitmann has made a great impression on this team, despite only being a freshman.

“She’s come in as a freshman and made an immediate impact,” Higgins said. “It’s been awesome to see her confidence grow with every game. She works hard, stays focused and brings the energy to the team, which makes her a great teammate to have.”

The Presidents quickly responded in the top half of the third inning scoring two more runs, making the game 6-1 through three innings. 

Waynesburg tallied four more runs over the next four innings, however, it was not enough. 

Heitmann admitted the team did a great job of staying in the game, even when down multiple runs. 

“As a team, what we do really well is staying in the game until the very last inning, especially in that first game,” Heitmann said. “We had a chance to come back and win, unfortunately we fell short. But this tram is capable of winning back from behind and winning those hard games.”

Game two ended with a similar score of 7-4. Waynesburg started off the game with two runs in the first three innings, with both RBI’s coming from HIggins with Heitmann on base. The Yellow Jackets led 2-0 through three innings.

However, the Presidents scored five-unanswered runs in the next two innings to have a 5-2 lead after five innings of play. 

Each team scored two more runs through the next two innings, finishing with the final score of 7-4. 

Despite the sweep, Waynesburg remains 13-4 overall on the year, but 0-2 to start PAC competition. Heitmann said that despite the losses, the team needs to focus on the next game. 

“Being swept by a team that we know are capable of beating can be very destructive mentally,” Heitmann said. “It’s frustrating and it’s discouraging, but the key is to not focus on the losses but to rather carry a new fire with us and remember the lessons we learned from those games.”

Higgins also said the team had good elements to their game despite the loss. 

“Offensively, we had some good at-bats, put the ball in play and had moments where we put pressure on defense,” Higgins said. 

Waynesburg’s next game will be back at the Eastview Athletic Complex in Waynesburg where the Yellow Jackets play Allegheny. The Gators were tied with Westminster for the best finish last season in the PAC with a conference record of 15-5. 

“We just need to focus on the basics and play with confidence,” Higgins said. “They’re a good team, but if we stick to what we do best – playing solid defense and having smart at-bats and being aggressive on the bases – we can compete with them.” 

Waynesburg will play Allegheny on Wednesday, March 25, with game one starting at 3 p.m. and game two to follow after.