Wolverines beat the Rock,
6-3
by Greg Knowlden, sports information student assistant
SLIPPERY ROCK, PA, May 6, 2002 --
The Grove City College baseball team (13-14) scored
four runs in the first inning and held on for a 6-3 victory over Slippery Rock Monday night
at Jack Critchfield Park. Sophomore
Greg Grupp (Harmony, PA/Slippery Rock) struck out ten over seven innings to
record the victory over his hometown college.
Senior CF Eric Bell (Grove City, PA/Grove City) was hit by a pitch to start the game. Sophomore 2B Jake Cuthbert (Belle Vernon, PA/Belle Vernon), freshman DH Joel Diller (Hartville, OH/Marlington), senior 1B Drew Hoagland (Butler, PA/Knoch), junior C Matt Skipper (Canton, OH/Canton South), and freshman LF Mike McMillen (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) all followed with consecutive singles as the Wolverines sent four runners over the plate in the opening frame. Hoagland led off the third with a double to center and scored on a two-base hit down the left field line by freshman 3B John Mycyk (Pittsburgh, PA/Shady Side Academy) to push the margin to 5-0.
Grupp faced the minimum over the first four innings before giving up a homer to open the fifth. A single with two outs produced another run and narrowed the advantage to 5-2. A solo homer in the seventh made it a 5-3 game as the Wolverines managed to put just four men on base from the fourth to the eighth.
Bell started the ninth with a single and moved to third on a base hit to right by Diller. With two outs, Skipper flared a single over the third baseman and into short left field to plate Bell. The insurance run pushed the Wolverine edge to 6-3.
Freshman Mike Gundy (Grand Rapids, MI/Grand Rapids Christian) picked up the squad’s first save of the year as he was perfect over the final two innings. After striking out the side in the eighth, he whiffed the first batter of the ninth and then got a fly ball and a groundball to close the win over the Division II Rock.
Grove City finishes its schedule with a doubleheader at Oberlin (OH) tomorrow afternoon. The Wolverines will finish with a winning record in consecutive years for the first time since 1992-93 with a sweep of the two-game series.
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