Thomas More eliminates Waynesburg
A throwing error in the bottom of the ninth inning allowed host Thomas More to score a run and defeat Waynesburg, 9-8, in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament Friday afternoon.
The win moves the Saints into the championship series against Washington & Jefferson College at 10 a.m. today. Thomas More (29-11) must beat W&J twice in order to win the PAC title.
Against Waynesburg, Thomas More clawed back from a 5-2 deficit by scoring five runs in the fifth. The game was tied, 8-8, in the ninth when Casey Metzger doubled for one of his three hits. Mark Woelfel tried to sacrifice him to third with a bunt. The ball was fielded by relief pitcher David Cross and he threw it away for an error that allowed Metzger to score.
Waynesburg (21-18-1) took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth inning when Jonathan Kletzli sacrificed home a run. Thomas More to tied the game in the bottom of the eighth inning when Nick Connor doubled and came home on a sacrifice fly by Nick Popham.
The two teams combined for 17 runs and 28 hits with Metzger, Connor and Bailey Abbatiello getting three apiece for the Saints.
Ben Miller homered, doubled and drove in three runs for Waynesburg.
Wash & Jeff 5, Waynesburg 1: Senior Jared Baird tossed his team-leading sixth complete game to propel W&J to a 5-1 win over Waynesburg and earn a spot in the PAC finals.
Washington & Jefferson advances to the PAC title round for the fourth consecutive season and is one victory away from its 10th league crown. The Presidents play Thomas More in the double-elimination tournament at 10 a.m., needing a win for the title. If the Saints win, the two teams play again in the afternoon.
Baird surrendered just one run, a solo homer in the top of the fifth inning. The southpaw scattered six hits in nine innings and struck out four with one walk in improving to 5-3 on the season. It was his third-straight complete-game victory.
The one-out solo homer by the Yellow Jackets’ Eric Crum in the fifth inning broke a scoreless tie. Waynesburg would load the bases with two outs but didn’t score.
W&J answered with two in the bottom of the inning. Anthony Paladino drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly to center field and Nick Vento followed with an RBI single on a fly ball to left field that landed just inside of the line.
The Presidents added two in the sixth and one in the eighth to put the game away.