PITTSBURGH, Pa. – May 7, 2022 – The Chatham University baseball team sent out its seniors on home soil in successful fashion, splitting with Waynesburg and setting the program record for wins in a year. The Cougars lost game one 5-2 and won the second contest 5-1, putting Chatham's overall record at 13-24 and conference mark at 5-21.
 
Prior to the twin bill, Chatham honored its eight seniors in Mason Akers, Nico Cuello, Ryan Denz, Kelli Jenkins, Caleb Lehman, Luke Paulson, Frank Peluso and Trevor Salvior. The Cougars' ninth senior that was not present was Corey Miller.
 
Both games got off to successful starts for Chatham. After sophomore Frankie DeLuca singled to right center, Lehman brought him in with an RBI double to break the ice. However, the lead did not last as Chatham got two in the third and two in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.
 
The second and final run was an RBI base hit by Paulson which scored first-year Quinn Burke. However, Paulson was thrown out stretching that single into an attempted double. Waynesburg added the insurance in the sixth to put the final at 5-2.
 
Chatham outhit Waynesburg 11-9 but were undone by a couple of defensive lapses. Paulson went 3/3 at the plate, while Cuello, DeLuca and Lehman each hit a pair of knocks. Burke and sophomore Dylan Vogel had a hit each.
 
Denz started the contest but did not make it past the first inning. First-year Drew Schreck was tagged with the loss after going 2.2 innings. Classmate Kole Mayle struck out three Yellow Jackets in 3.1 innings of work while David McSorley twirled the final frame.
 
After a scoreless first inning, the Cougar bats came out in the second to give Chatham the lead and all the runs it needed. Paulson doubled down the left field line to score Vogel, and then first-year Tyler Cote launched a two-run home run to the deepest part of left field to put Chatham ahead 3-0.
 
The Cougars increased that lead by one in the fourth with another Paulson hit, this time a single scoring Vogel once again. After Waynesburg tied the game on an RBI double in the seventh, first-year Brady Wingeart doubled in Cuello to put the lead back to four.
 
The hits and errors were flip-flopped between the two games, with the Cougars getting outhit 11-9 but being aided by two Jacket errors. Vogel went 3/4 with a double, Wingeart's two hits were also doubles, while Paulson went 2/4. Cuello and Cote had the other hits.
 
Five Cougars combined for the victory. Jenkins started and was credited with the win after 2.2 innings of work. Akers followed, going 2.1 innings, and putting a similar stat line to the starting counterpart of four hits surrendered. Junior JJ Shibest pitched the sixth and seventh innings and was the culprit of the only run surrendered. The eighth was tossed by first-year Dawson Morrow while Cote wrapped up the game and recorded the only strikeout of the game.
 
Chatham and Waynesburg close the regular season tomorrow with a nine-inning game in Greene County scheduled for 2:00.