Baseball: Speaker, Schaffner, Toothman hit Homeruns; Bison swept by Yellow Jackets

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Bethany College baseball team was swept by Waynesburg University in a PAC doubleheader Sunday afternoon.

THE BASICS

Final Scores:

Waynesburg 6, Bethany 5

Waynesburg 9, Bethany 8

Records:

Bethany

Waynesburg

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

• Waynesburg jumped ahead early with a two run first inning.
• The Yellow Jacket lead didn't last though. Josh Speaker knotted the game a 2-2 with a two-run homerun to center field in the third inning.
• The Bison gained the lead after Speaker singled to drive in Nick Roell and Mike Hines. Izek Baldwin added to the Bison lead after driving in Derek Black.
• Bethany held on to a narrow 5-2 lead through seven innings. In the seventh, the Yellow Jackets scored four runs, three were off a home run, to take the lead and eventually would be the winning inning.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME ONE)

• Josh Speaker led the Bison with two hits and four RBIs.
• Nick Roell added three hits and two runs.
• JT Hubert was handed his second loss of the season, pitching 2.0 innings with two strikeouts.
• Zach Pressnell made his first start since the after spring break, pitching 6.0 innings with eight strikeouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

• Bethany started game two with Nick Roell scoring on a wild pitch, but the Bison lead wouldn't last long. Waynesburg scored a run in the bottom half of the inning to deadlock the game.
• The Bison regained the lead in the second after Devin Toothman doubled to score Payton Zupko. A few batters later, Riley Brendel scored off a Roell groundout. Bethany led 3-1 after two.
• Grant Shaffner added to the Bison lead with a solo homerun to left center in the third.
• The Bison added to their lead in the seventh and eighth innings with a Tyler McKee double that scored Schaffner and Speaker and a solo Toothman homerun. Bethany led 7-1. Trey Mantle kept the Yellow Jackets to one run through seven innings.
• The Yellow Jackets found some offense in the eighth inning, scoring five runs to bring themselves within one of the Bison.
• In the ninth, Bethany added what they thought would be a game sealing run with Tyler Geckler scoring off a Riley Brendel single. Heading into the bottom half of the inning, the Bison led 8-6.
• With runners on third and first and one out, the Bison were looking for the game ending double play, however, Seth Burgdolt had another homerun in mind. Burgdolt would hit a walk-off three run homerun to give the Yellow Jackets the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME TWO)

• Tyler McKee had two hits and two RBIs.
• Devin Toothman added two hits and two RBIs.
• Grant Schaffner scored twice.
• JT Hubert was handed his second loss of the day.
• Trey Mantle earned the start, pitching 8.0 innings with five strikeouts.

Up Next
The Bison return to action on Monday, April 8 when they travel to Latrobe, Pa. for a PAC doubleheader against Saint Vincent.