Waynesburg, W&J advance in PAC Baseball Championship Tournament

Waynesburg, W&J advance in PAC Baseball Championship Tournament

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CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (pacathletics.org) – Second-seeded Waynesburg University and fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson College each picked up wins Thursday to get the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Championship Tournament underway.

Waynesburg rallied from a four-run deficit to claim a 7-4 win over third-seeded Thiel College in Thursday’s opener, while W&J was able to hold off a late charge by top-seeded Thomas More College to earn a 6-5 win in the nightcap.

Waynesburg and W&J will open up championship tournament play on Friday at 10 a.m., followed by the day’s first elimination game between Thiel and Thomas More at 1 p.m. The winner of the Thiel/Thomas More matchup and the loser of the Waynesburg/W&J matchup will meet in the day’s final elimination game at 4 p.m.

The tournament’s championship round is scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m.

The PAC Championship Tournament winner will earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III Baseball Championships, with regional preliminary-round play scheduled for Wednesday-Sunday, May 13-17. Team selections and regional assignments for the Division III Championships will be announced Monday, May 11 on ncaa.com.

May 7 • Game B
Crestview Hills, Ky. | Thomas More Field
(4) W&J at (1) Thomas More
W&J 6, Thomas More 5 Box score
Fourth-seeded W&J scored six runs through the first three innings and made every one count in Thursday’s 6-5 win over top-seeded Thomas More.

Freshman centerfielder Gannon Rooney (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Upper St. Clair) belted a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game. The home run was Rooney’s team-leading fourth of the season. Rooney finished 2-for-4 at the plate.

Sophomore righty Riley Groves (Louisville, Ohio / Louisville) improved to a PAC-best 9-1 after working 6.1 innings for the Presidents. Groves gave up five runs (3 earned) on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts.  

Sophomore catcher Derek Helbing (Pataskala, Ohio / Watkins Memorial) went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Thomas More junior righty Logan Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio / LaSalle) was the hard luck loser in game two, allowing six runs (2 earned) on six hits in 3.0 innings. Junior righty Taylor Smith (Crestview Hills, Ky. / Beechwood) and sophomore righty Ken Ruberg (Cincinnati, Ohio / LaSalle) combined to toss 6.0 innings of scoreless relief for the Saints.

May 7 • Game A
Crestview Hills, Ky. | Thomas More Field
(3) Thiel vs. (2) Waynesburg
Waynesburg 7, Thiel 4 Box score
Trailing No. 3 Thiel by a 4-0 margin after three innings, No. 2 Waynesburg rallied with two runs in the fourth, two in the sixth and three in the seventh to claim a 7-4 come-from-behind win in Wednesday’s PAC Championship Tournament opener.
 
Waynesburg junior righty Brian Resnik (Burgettstown, Pa. / Burgettstown) was terrific for the Jackets, surrendering four runs (3 earned) on nine hits in a complete-game effort, his sixth such outing of the season. Resnik fanned seven Tomcats while picking up his ninth victory of the season.
 
Senior shortstop Ben Shorthouse (Export, Pa. / Franklin Regional) went 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs. Sophomore catcher Ben Miller (Columbia, Md. / Hammond) finished 2-for 3 with a RBI and a run scored while sophomore third baseman Cameron Bernhardt (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
 
Thiel junior first baseman Trent Smith (Franklin, Pa. / Franklin) finished 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Junior second baseman Josh Doody (Grove City, Pa. / Grove City) chipped in with three hits and a pair of runs scored.
 
Junior lefty Matt Elko (Middlefield, Ohio / Berkshire) was credited with a no decision after allowing four runs (3 earned) on nine hits in 6.0 innings. Senior righty Parker Meyers (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) suffered the loss, allowing three runs (3 earned) in one-third of an inning.