MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - La Roche baseball was able to open the 2026 season against Waynesburg, thanks to West Virginia University allowing the use of Mylan Park, but the Yellow Jackets would end up getting the better of the Redhawks in both games of the doubleheader.
GAME 1: Waynesburg 5 La Roche 4
Game one opened with La Roche striking immediately in the top of first, when Samuel DiCicco plated DJ Loveland on an RBI groundout.
Waynesburg would counter immediately with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first to take a 2-1 lead, then produced two more runs in the bottom of the second to charge ahead, 4-1.
The Redhawks cut the deficit to one in the top of the third, when a Yellow Jacket error produced a pair of runs to trim the score to 4-3.
In the bottom of the fourth, Waynesburg scored what would be the game-winning run to move ahead, 5-3, and the final run scored came by La Roche in the top of the fifth off a Troy Sallis double to score Ricky Heyz.
James Hansell started game one and after early runs allowed, settled in to throw 5.0 innings, allowing five runs (three earned), six hits, three walks and struck out four.
Jordan Sullivan pitched an inning of relief, striking out one.
Loveland, Sallis and Heyz would combine for the three hits on the offensive end.
GAME 2: Waynesburg 5 La Roche 3
The Redhawks again wasted no time jumping ahead, scoring two in the top of the first, when DiCicco drove in Brady Angus and Loveland with a two RBI double for the early lead.
The only other run scored by La Roche in game two came in the top of the second, as Loveland tripled in Eli Thomas to push the lead to 3-0.
While Waynesburg shut down the Redhawks offensively the rest of the way, the Yellow Jackets plated two in the bottom of the second to make it 3-2, then overtook La Roche's lead in the bottom of the fourth, making it 4-3. An insurance run came in the bottom of the sixth.
Bryson Bubb got the start in game two and also pitched 5.0 innings, allowing four runs (two earned), five hits, two walks and struck out one.
In relief, Josh Cayer allowed one unearned run, a walk and fanned one in one inning.
La Roche doubled the hit category from Game 1 to Game 2, finishing with six, led by Loveland's 2-for-4.
The Redhawks are currently slated to return to the diamond on Sunday, Feb. 22 for a doubleheader against Penn State Fayette, scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.