Visiting Waynesburg University used a pair of comeback wins to sweep the Lady Bearcats in Presidents' Athletic Conference softball action in Latrobe.

In the day's first game, Waynesburg used a pair of home runs in the seventh inning to come back from a one-run deficit and win 4-3, while the Yellow Jackets earned the sweep with a 5-4, nine-inning win in the nightcap.

Leanna Seminsky started things well for the Lady Bearcats in the opener, as she led off the game with a double, advanced to third on a Maura Wahl single, and scored on a Rachel Komarinski squeeze bunt.

Waynesburg was able to even the score in the bottom of the first, and then neither team was able to find the scoreboard for the next three frames.

SVC took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth, with Wahl singling and Komarinski driving her home with a double to right center.  Again, Waynesburg responded, tying the score up in the sixth. 

The back-and-forth theme continued in the seventh, with Komarinski again doubling home Wahl, who reached on an error, giving the Lady Bearcats the 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Waynesburg's Kristen Lautsenschlager led off the inning with a home run to right field, tying the game at three, and then with two outs, Amanda Baughman ended the game in walk-off fashion, curling a home run around the left field foul pole to give the Yellow Jackets the 4-3 win.

Komarinski led the offensive charge for the Lady Bearcats, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, while Wahl, Mollie Stock, and Jostalyn Klosky each had two hits apiece.  Stock went the distance in the circle for SVC and took the hard-luck loss, scattering eight hits and striking out five.

Lautenschlager and Autumn Minor each had two hits to lead the Jackets, while Minor earned the complete game win on the mound.

In the nightcap, Waynesburg got on the board first, scoring an unearned run in the top of the first inning.  The Lady Bearcats quickly countered, as Seminsky and Wahl led off with singles and were both driven home by a Stock base hit to give SVC the 2-1 lead.

Saint Vincent added onto its lead with a run in the bottom of the second, with Klosky, who walked to lead off the inning, scoring on a ground out from Seminsky, making the score 3-1.  The Lady Bearcats then pushed the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third, with Stock knocking another RBI single, scoring Komarinski, who reached via walk.

After Waynesburg cut the deficit to 4-2 with an unearned run in the top of the fifth, the Yellow Jackets again used the long ball to tie it up in the sixth, with a two-run blast from Samantha Volponi knotting the score at 4-4.

The Lady Bearcats managed baserunners in each of the next two frames, but were unable to score the decisive run.  In the top of the ninth, Minor doubled home Lautenschlager to put the Yellow Jackets up 5-4, and SVC faced its last at bat.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Seminsky legged out an infield single, and then Wahl followed by reaching on an error, giving SVC runners at first and second.  However, the Lady Bearcats were once again unable to bring home a run, and Waynesburg escaped with the extra inning win.

Seminsky, Stock, Wahl, and Angela Doyle had two hits apiece for SVC, with Stock tallying three RBIs, but despite pounding out 10 hits as a team, SVC stranded nine runners on base.  Whipkey was saddled with the loss on the mound, working all nine innings and allowing five runs - three earned - on nine hits, while striking out seven.

Lautenschlager led the Yellow Jackets at the plate with a 4-for-4 performance, and Nicole Forte had three hits in four at bats.  Baughman got the pitching win, working a complete game and striking out 10.

With the two defeats, the Lady Bearcat record now stands at 7-9, while the Yellow Jackets improve to 9-7.  Saint Vincent will return to action on Saturday, traveling to Washington & Jefferson College for a 1pm doubleheader.

PHOTO (By Jeremy Smith): Leanna Seminsky slides home safely in the first game of the Lady Bearcats' doubleheader with Waynesburg