May 2, 2009

Grove City sweeps Bethany; moves closer to tourney bid

BETHANY, W. Va. -- The Grove City College baseball team improved to 8-9 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon by sweeping a conference doubleheader with host Bethany. Grove City rode a seven-hit shutout from junior pitcher Mike Herringshaw (Chardon, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) in a 5-0 Game One win. In the nightcap, the Wolverines (15-17 overall) pulled out a 9-8 win.

In the opener, Grove City broke a scoreless tie by scoring four runs in the top of the fourth. Senior first baseman Brad Stombaugh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) laced a two-run single while sophomore second baseman Andrew Patterson (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls) and senior center fielder Seth Thompson (Canton, Ohio/GlenOak) followed with run-scoring singles.

Sophomore catcher Marcus Magister (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) capped the scoring in the opener with a solo homer, his 10th round-tripper of the season. He went 3 for 4 in Game One.

Herringshaw notched his first collegiate shutout by striking out five and walking none in seven innings. He threw 96 total pitches, including 64 strikes. Herringshaw is now 6-5.

In Game Two, Grove City trailed 5-3 entering the top of the fifth but sophomore right fielder Scott Moran (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) tied the game with a two-run homer. The Wolverines then surged ahead in the sixth as Thompson and Moran struck back-to-back run-scoring doubles. Magister followed with a two-run home run to give Grove City a 9-5 lead.

Bethany closed to within 9-8 in the bottom of the seventh but senior reliever Matt Tindall (Copley, Ohio/Copley) worked out of the jam to earn his first save of the season. Sophomore Cory Metcalf (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) picked up the win after allowing five earned runs in six-plus innings. He yielded a dozen hits while striking out three. Tindall recorded the final three outs.

Thompson went 2 for 2 with three runs scored while sophomore left fielder Butch Kriger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) tripled and singled.

Grove City will wrap up conference play Monday afternoon against Bethany at 3 p.m. The Wolverines will clinch the fourth and final berth in next week's PAC Championship Tournament with a victory. Grove City will also qualify for the tournament if Waynesburg (8-9 PAC) loses to Washington & Jefferson Sunday afternoon. W&J swept a doubleheader with Waynesburg Saturday, 11-3 and 5-2. Grove City owns a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Waynesburg this year and thus owns the tie-breaker.

First Game Box Score        Second Game Box Score

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