WASHINGTON, Pa. – The fourth-seeded Westminster baseball team lost, 10-9, in extra innings at top-seeded and No. 25 Washington and Jefferson in the first round of the 2022 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament Thursday afternoon.
"It shows when we compete, we can do a lot of good things," said head coach Pat Riley. "Tough one right there. Back-and-forth game, great playoff atmosphere, all around really competitive game. Some things didn't go our way, didn't execute in some situations. Have to bounce back, have to have the right mindset for tomorrow."
Westminster (22-18) took an early 5-1 lead in the top of the second after sophomore
Logan Murgenovich (Aliquippa, PA / Central Valley) connected on an RBI-double to left field, scoring senior
Austin Webb (Wadsworth, OH / Wadsworth) and first-year
Braeden Campbell (Glenshaw, PA / Shaler).
In the bottom of the fourth, Washington and Jefferson (33-8) tied the game at five after a two-run single through the left side. Later in the sixth, the Titans regained the lead after Campbell batted-in senior
Brandon Cooper (Oakdale, PA / West Allegheny), making it 6-5.
In the top of the ninth, with the Presidents in front 8-7 with two outs, sophomore
Carter Chinn (Grove City, PA / Grove City) blasted a clutch two-run homer to put Westminster ahead (9-8). In the bottom of the ninth, W&J tied the game to send it into extra innings and eventually scored the game-winning run in the 11th.
The Titans were led by Chinn who went 3-for-6 with a homerun and a pair of RBIs, followed by senior
Matt Costello (New Castle, PA / Union Area) who went 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Westminster is next scheduled to compete Friday, May 13 in game D (the losing team between No. 3 Grove City vs. No. 2 Saint Vincent) in day two of the double-elimination PAC Tournament. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
