March 31, 2007

Grove City now 9-2

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team is now 9-2 overall and 2-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference after splitting a PAC doubleheader at Bethany Saturday. Grove City won the opener, 6-1, but Bethany rebounded in Game Two for a 10-5 victory at Bethany Park.

In Game One, junior starting pitcher Chris Bowser (Stow, Ohio/Stow) improved to 3-0 on the season by allowing one run in six innings. He fanned five and permitted just six hits.

Junior center fielder Brian Moran (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate) sparked Grove City's 13-hit attack by going 4 for 4 with a triple, double and three runs scored. Junior DH Pat Messner (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) collected three hits and a pair of RBIs in his four at-bats. Senior right fielder Chris Schwamberger (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison) doubled and singled while senior first baseman Dan Bartkowiak (Fredonia, N.Y./Fredonia) went 2 for 3.

Grove City jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first as Moran tripled and scored on a Messner single. Grove City extended the lead to 3-0 in the second as junior left fielder Jon Coyne (Solon, Ohio/Solon) singled in Bartkowiak. Pinch runner Jim Gunst (Midlothian, Va. /Midlothian) later scored on Schwamberger's double. In the third inning, Moran doubled and scored on another Messner single. Messner eventually scored on a single by sophomore third baseman Cody Koontz (Moundsville, W. Va./John Marshall).

Moran scored Grove City's final run in the fifth on a balk.

Senior closer Justin Miller (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Bowser.

Bethany took control of the nightcap by exploding for seven runs in the bottom of the second. Bethany took advantage of four walks and an error during the inning.

Moran and Messner belted back-to-back homers in the third, trimming Bethany's lead to 7-3. Grove City cut the lead to 7-5 in the fourth on a run-scoring single by junior DH Steve Kennedy (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) and junior second baseman Bryan Pierrot's (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) sacrifice fly. However, Grove City managed just one hit over the final three innings.

Messner finished 2 for 4 while Pierrot drove in two runs.

Sophomore lefty Zach Hillegas (Bridgeport, W. Va./Bridgeport) took the loss for Grove City, allowing seven runs (one earned) in 1 2/3 innings. He allowed just two hits but issued four walks. Sophomore Matt Tindall (Copley, Ohio/Copley) allowed one run in two innings of relief. Miller pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and gave up two runs.

Grove City will host Hilbert in a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m.

First Game Box Score        Second Game Box Score

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