April 30, 2004
Bethany eliminates Wolverines
BETHANY, W. Va. -- Host Bethany scored two runs in the top of the ninth and withstood a two-out Grove City rally to pull out an 8-7 victory over the Wolverines in the loser's bracket of the Presidents' Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Tournament Friday afternoon at Bethany Park.
Grove City (12-19) finishes fourth in the PAC with the loss.
The Wolverines trailed 8-6 entering the bottom of the ninth but sophomore Greg Hrebinko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) roped a two-out double to right field. Senior second baseman Jake Cuthbert (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) followed with a run-scoring single to right. Junior left fielder Michael McMillen (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) then belted a deep fly to left center that Bethany center fielder Rich Majewski caught in front of the fence, ending the game.
Grove City, which was designated as the home team prior to the game, grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Cuthbert opened the game with a single. Sophomore Jerry Ott (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) walked with one out while junior first baseman Joel Diller (Hartville, Ohio/Marlington) singled. An error allowed Cuthbert to score the first run of the game.
Ott scored on Greg Grupp's (Harmony, Pa./Slippery Rock) sacrifice fly while junior catcher A.J. Stedford (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) singled in Diller with two outs. Bethany tied the game in the top of the second but the Wolverines reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the second as Cuthbert singled in sophomore shortstop Mike Ritter (Moon, Pa./Moon).
Bethany tied the game in the fourth and pulled ahead with a two-run fifth inning. The Bison knocked Grove City starter Ryan Carr (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) from the game with a leadoff double in the sixth but senior reliever Sean O'Donnell (Brackenridge, Pa./St. Joseph) snuffed out the threat by inducing a 2-3-2 double play on a sacrifice bunt attempt.
Cuthbert's solo homer in the sixth cut the Bison lead to 6-5. Grove City tied the game at 6-6 in the eighth when McMillen walked and came home on a throwing error.
Cuthbert went 5-for-6 with three RBI while Stedford went 3-for-5. Diller and Ritter both added a pair of hits. O'Donnell took the loss for the Wolverines, allowing two runs in four innings. Carr pitched five innings and allowed six runs, all earned.
Matt Raiti earned the win for Bethany with four innings of relief. Todd Welsh started for the Bison and pitched into the sixth inning.
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