First Game Box     Second Game Box                                                                                                            April 16, 2003

Thiel rally prevents Grove City sweep

GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Grove City College baseball team remained at .500 on the season by splitting a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Thiel College's Packard Park. The Wolverines (10-10, 6-7 PAC) pulled out a 6-3 win in the opener, then allowed a 5-0 seventh-inning lead to evaporate in a 7-6, 9-inning loss in the second game.

In the opener, Grove City broke the game open with a three-run fifth inning and two more runs in the sixth. A two-run double from junior DH Greg Grupp (Harmony, Pa./Slippery Rock) drove in sophomore third baseman Jonathan Mycyk (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) and sophomore catcher A.J. Stedford (Beaver, Pa./Beaver), giving Grove City a 3-1 lead.

Grupp eventually scored on a squeeze bunt from freshman center fielder Jason DeMeo (Washington, Pa./Trinity). The Wolverines padded their lead in the sixth as a Stedford double scored freshman left fielder Jerry Ott (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette). Stedford would score on a Mycyk single.

Freshman Ryan Carr (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) earned the win by allowing two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. Sophomore Luke Lester (Dover, Ohio/Dover) got the last five outs to earn his first career save. 

Grupp and Mycyk each went 2-for-3 in the first game.

Grove City appeared to be on its way to a sweep as the Wolverines carried a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh. Junior Sean O'Donnell (Brackenridge, Pa./St. Joseph's) took a shutout into the seventh but Thiel (16-17, 7-7 PAC) loaded the bases on a walk, an error and a hit batsman. Junior second baseman/relief pitcher Jake Cuthbert (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) allowed two hits and a hit batsman, allowing Thiel to draw within 5-4. 

A wild pitch scored Thiel pinch runner Pat Aretz, tying the game at 5-5. 

Cuthbert put Grove City back on top by singling in DeMeo in the top of the eighth. However, Thiel loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth against Lester and tied the game on a fielder's choice. In the bottom of the ninth, Thiel shortstop Caleb Goist drove in Bob Flukas with the game-winning run.

DeMeo went 3-for-5 with a double while Cuthbert and freshman shortstop Mike Ritter (Moon, Pa./Moon) both doubled and singled. Lester took the loss.

Grove City will host Thiel in a single 9-inning game Thursday at 3 p.m. The top four teams in the PAC advance to next week's conference tournament with the top seed owning home-field advantage. Westminster is 10-5, Waynesburg is 9-5, Thiel is 7-7, Grove City is 6-7 and Bethany is 5-7. The Wolverines close PAC play Tuesday, April 22 at Waynesburg.

A Waynesburg win next Tuesday would allow the Yellow Jackets to host the conference tournament as they own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Westminster.

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