April 13, 2006

Grove City splits PAC twinbill at Waynesburg

WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team split a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader Thursday afternoon at PAC rival Waynesburg. Grove City (16-6, 8-4 PAC) dropped a 5-4 decision in the opener but stormed back for an 11-2 victory in the second game. Grove City remains in a virtual tie for the PAC lead with Washington and Jefferson (4-2 PAC).

Grove City jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning of Game Two. Junior left fielder Chris Schwamberger (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison) opened the game with a double and eventually scored on an error. Senior right fielder Jerry Ott (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) added a run-scoring single later in the inning while in the second, Schwamberger singled in freshman second baseman Ben Wilson (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis).

Schwamberger went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a career-high five runs batted in while Ott also went 3-for-5. Ott doubled and drove in three runs.

The Wolverines extended their lead to 6-1 in the fifth as Ott singled and scored on a double by sophomore catcher Ray Mertz (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler). Mertz later scored on a fielder's choice. Grove City broke the game open in the sixth inning with a five-run outburst.

Ott belted a two-run double that scored senior shortstop Mike Ritter (Moon Township, Pa./Moon) and sophomore DH Mike Hess (Sewickley, Pa./Avonworth). Later in the inning, Schwamberger cracked a three-run double that closed Grove City's scoring. Hess doubled in the victory while Mertz, Ott, Ritter, Schwamberger and Wilson all scored twice.

Senior pitcher Erik Arnesen (Princeton, N.J./Timothy Christian) fired a complete game to improve to 5-0 on the season. He allowed two runs in seven innings. Arnesen now has 49 strikeouts in 42 innings and owns a 1.71 earned run average.

Ritter gave Grove City a 1-0 lead in the opener with a solo homer, his fourth round-tripper of the season. Waynesburg (12-12-1, 4-5 PAC) eventually took a 5-1 lead but Grove City posted a three-run sixth inning. A two-run, pinch-hit double by sophomore Pat Messner (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) scored Mertz and Ott in the sixth, highlighting the rally.

Grove City had a chance to take the lead in the seventh but the Wolverines left sophomore third baseman Bryan Pierrot (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) and Ritter stranded on third and second, respectively.

Sophomore Chris Bowser (Stow, Ohio/Stow) took the loss for Grove City, allowing three runs in three innings. Senior Mike Kennedy (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) allowed two unearned runs in two innings of work while junior Eric Hull (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) pitched a scoreless sixth.

Grove City will host D'Youville in a non-conference doubleheader next Tuesday, April 18 at 2 p.m.

Game One Box Score                Game Two Box Score

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