NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Day one of the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference Softball Tournament was highlighted by two-time defending champion Waynesburg University winning twice and top seed and Tournament host Westminster College winning once to put the teams in the winner's bracket final as tournament play got underway Thursday afternoon. 

Every game of the 2024 PAC Softball Tournament will once again be live streamed by our friends at the PAC Sports Network. To access the broadcasts, just click the link above.

Due to projected rain later in the day, all of Friday's start times have been moved up one hour from the original schedule. The updated schedule can be seen below.

Game A - No. 4 Grove City 3, No. 5 Bethany 2
The first game of the game pitted fourth seed Grove City College against the fifth seed Bethany College, who scored two first-inning runs to take the lead. The Wolverines scored once in the first and twice more in the third to move in front and then held on to post a 3-2 victory. Grove City freshman pitcher Abigail Meadors (Warren, Ohio/Champion) earned the win by firing a complete game. She struck out seven, allowed five hits and walked only one in seven innings.

Game B - No. 6 Waynesburg 7, No. 3 Geneva 6
Game B followed and was a match-up between the three seed Geneva College and the back-to-back PAC champions and sixth seed, Waynesburg. After the Golden Tornadoes broke out to 2-0 and 4-2 leads, a four-run fourth inning gave the Yellow Jackets a lead they never relinquished in a 7-6 victory. Junior Grace Higgins (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) finished the first game  with three hits, including a solo home run in the sixth inning for Waynesburg's seventh run, which proved to be the difference. 

Game C - No. 1 Westminster 5, No. 4 Grove City 3
The top seed Westminster took the field for the first time in Game C against Grove City, who was coming off the earlier win over Bethany. The Titans jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held off late rallies from the Wolverines, who left the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings as Westminster held on for a 5-3 triumph to move into Friday's winner's bracket final. Graduate student Madison Brown (Lisbon, Ohio/East Liverpool) earned the win in the circle after throwing the first 5 1/3 innings and also went 2-for-3 at the plate, including a two-run single. 

Game D - No. 6 Waynesburg 5, No. 2 Allegheny 4
The final game of the day had Waynesburg taking on the second seed Allegheny College. The Jackets kept the momentum from their earlier win by scoring five runs in the first two innings and then staving off the Gators' rallies in the final innings for a 5-4 victory that put the defending champs in the winner's bracket final. At the plate, Higgins went 3-for-4 and scored once, while junior pitcher Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va./Clay-Battelle) earned the save after leaving the bases loaded in the sixth inning and two runners on in the seventh.

Friday's action starts with a pair of elimination games. First up in Game E is Geneva (24-15) taking on Grove City (24-16) at 9 am, which will be followed by Game F and Allegheny (24-9) taking on Bethany (25-13) at 11 am. Those two winners will meet on the field at 3 pm in Game H, another elimination game.

Following the two early games will be the winner's bracket final between Westminster and Waynesburg. The two teams have developed a playoff history, as they've faced off in the PAC Tournament Championship Game the last two seasons. Waynesburg has come out on top in those match-ups to claim their consecutive PAC crowns and in the process, has won eight consecutive PAC Tournament games, including the two on Thursday.

The winner of this year's championship tournament title will secure the league's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Softball Championship, with teams and regional site selections announced on Monday, May 13. Regional round play is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, May 17-19 and the Super Regionals will be played Friday-Saturday, May 24-25.  

 

2024 PAC Softball Championship Tournament Hosted by Westminster College--New Wilmington, Pa. Note: Times may be adjusted based on weather
Thursday, May 2 (at Westminster)
10 a.m.	Game A: No. 4 Grove City 3, No. 5 Bethany 2
12 p.m.	Game B: No. 6 Waynesburg 7, No. 3 Geneva 6
2 p.m.	Game C: No. 1 Westminster 5, No. 4 Grove City 3
4 p.m.	Game D: No. 6 Waynesburg 5, No. 2 Allegheny 4
Friday, May 3 (at Westminster)
9 a.m.	Game E: Geneva vs. Grove City
11 a.m.	Game F: Bethany vs. Allegheny
1 p.m.	Game G: Westminster vs. Waynesburg
3 p.m.	Game H: Game E Winner vs. Game F Winner
Saturday, May 4 (at Westminster)
11 a.m.	Game I: Game H Winner vs. Game G Loser
1 p.m.	Game J: Championship Game
3 p.m.	Game K: If Necessary Game
Monday, May 6 (at Westminster)
TBD	Rain date