Waynesburg losses in high scoring affair
Waynesburg University head coach Mike Humiston was not pleased with his team after another loss Thursday during its trip to Winter Haven, Florida this spring.
“I think our guys need to take a look at themselves in the mirror, and figure out what kind of baseball team they want to be this year,” said Humiston. “Right now, it’s pretty obvious that they just want to be a terrible baseball team.”
It was a wild one for the Waynesburg University baseball squad as it took on somewhat familiar foe Muskingum.
Trying to avoid their fifth loss in a row during its Florida trip this spring, the Jackets grabbed a 4-1 lead after the first three innings of play.
Senior Justin Smith reached on an error and junior Luke Carter scored after a couple of walks to Carter and junior Tyler Rubasky kept the top of the second inning alive. Then in the third, senior Matt Bensinger flexed his muscle with a three run homer, the first two of what would be an eight RBI day, to put the Jackets up by three.
Waynesburg eventually took a 5-1 lead in the fifth when junior Jonathon Kletzli scored on a fielder’s choice from Carter. But, the Muskies mounted their comeback in the bottom of the fifth, plating three runs on three hits and then followed that with another run in the sixth to knot the game up at five.
Each team scored two runs apiece in the seventh, leaving the score at seven all heading into the eighth. Waynesburg exploded for five runs in the eighth, thanks in large part to another round-tripper off the bat of Bensinger, this time, a grand slam.
Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, that’s all the offense could muster, but Muskingum was far from done. The Muskies scored six unanswered runs in the final two innings to take the game 13-12 in heartbreaking, or maybe disheartening fashion.
“It’s not like we’re playing top notch competition,” said Humiston. “We were picked fourth in the conference. A lot of people thought, myself included, that that was kind of a slap in the face but after this week, I’m not so sure they’re not right. I don’t think we’re playing well enough to be in the top eight in our conference.”
Senior Brian Resnik started the game for the Yellow Jackets and went six innings, giving up five runs, four of them earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk. The combination of Jacob Meyer, David Cross and Derek Whalen out of the Waynesburg bullpen gave up eight runs (five earned), on just four hits, with three strikeouts, one walk, and three hit by pitches in the final three innings, including a balk that scored a run.
Waynesburg finishes its Florida trip Friday against Western New England University, but Humiston wouldn’t call the spring voyage a success to this point.
“At worst, I thought we would be 5-3 [in the Florida tournament], probably should have been 6-2,” Humiston said. “To be at this point 1-6…that’s pathetic.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Waynesburg | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 6 |
| Muskingum | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 2 |
WP: Dylan Davy [1-0] 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 SO
LP: Derek Whalen [0-1] 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 SO