WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 21) – The Saint Vincent softball team split a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Waynesburg University, riding a strong pitching performance to a 2-0 victory in the opener, before falling 9-1 in the nightcap.
 
After its fifth PAC doubleheader split of the season, the Bearcats' move to 17-13 overall and 9-7 in conference play and sit in a tie for fourth in the PAC standings with four games left over the final week of the campaign. 

 
Game One: Saint Vincent 2, Waynesburg 0
 
The Bearcats received the only offense they needed with a two-run first inning and rode the right arm of Haley Bicko the rest of the way, as the veteran authored her third complete game shutout of the season.
 
Bicko scattered just four hits and notched two strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 8-4.
 
Mackenzie Favero led off the top of the first with a bunt base hit, before moving all the way to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Olivia Persin, which was misplayed. The tandem then executed a perfect double steal, with Favero scampering home with the game's first run.  Persin would then move to third on a Jessica LaPorte ground out, before scoring on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
 
Waynesburg threatened in the bottom of the first, with its first two batters reaching via walk and a bunt single, but Bicko escaped the jam with two groundouts and a flyout to keep the Yellow Jackets off the board.
 
The Bearcats would manage baserunners in all seven innings, but were unable to add any insurance off of Waynesburg hurler Sydney Wilson. SVC's best chance to add on came in the top of the sixth, when Bicko and Nicolette Kloes each racked two-out singles, but Wilson induced an inning-ending groundout to keep the deficit at two.
 
Bicko retired 10 straight batters between the third and sixth innings before the Yellow Jackets put together a late rally in the top of the seventh. After the hosts' first two batters reached on a single and an error, Bicko regrouped to get a fly out and a ground out. She would then issue a two-out walk to load the bases, but would then get another ground ball to the left side of the infield, which was fielded by Persin at short, who flipped to third to get the game-ending out.
 
Saint Vincent out-hit Waynesburg 7-4 in the victory, with Favero and Kloes each tallying two hits. LaPorte, Bicko, and Shayna Perigo also singled.
 
Game Two: Waynesburg 9, Saint Vincent 1
 
The Bearcats would again take an early lead in game two, but Waynesburg roared back to score nine unanswered runs between the second and fourth innings to pull away for the win.
 
After Favero was stranded in the first following a leadoff single, the Bearcats broke through for the game's first run in the top of the second, when Perigo led off with a single and was driven home on an RBI double to left-center by A.J. Arnal.
 
The Yellow Jackets then countered by using a double, triple, and a Bearcat error to score two runs in the bottom of the second, before sending 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the third and scoring five runs on four hits and an error, extending the lead to 7-1.
 
Waynesburg closed out the scoring in the bottom of the fourth, using two walks and a two-run double to score its final two runs of the game and close out the victory.
 
The Bearcats managed just four baserunners in the game, with the hits from Favero, Perigo and Arnal, and a hit-by-pitch by Shelby Dobrzynski.
 
Arnal started in the circle and took the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits, with two walks and three strikeouts, in 2.1 innings of work. Olivia Bushore threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning, while Meghan Braun allowed two runs on one hit and three walks in one inning of work.
 
The Bearcats will open up its pivotal final week of the season with a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader at Geneva on Tuesday, April 23.