March 21, 2012

Case tops Grove City

CLEVELAND -- The Grove City College baseball team dropped both ends of a non-conference doubleheader to host Case Western Reserve Wednesday afternoon at Nobby's Ballpark. Case Western pulled out an 8-7 win in the opener and then completed the sweep with a 12-3 win in Game Two.

In the opener, Grove City trailed 7-2 entering the fifth inning but forged a tie with a five-run outburst. Sophomore third baseman Evan Hoskinson (Uniontown, Ohio/Green) ignited the rally with a double while freshman left fielder Mason McFeaters (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) added a run-scoring single. A run-scoring groundout from junior DH Zach Struharik (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) tied the game 7-7.

Three Case Western errors helped fuel the comeback. Case Western reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth, however, and held Grove City hitless over the final two innings to secure the win.

Grove City grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when junior first baseman Kyle Shock (Loudonville, Ohio/Hillsdale) doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from junior right fielder Cameron Jones (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro). The lead grew to 2-0 in the third when Hoskinson singled in junior catcher Doug Wells (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's).

Case Western scored four runs in the third and three more in the fourth in taking its 7-2 lead.

McFeaters finished the game 3 for 4 while Hoskinson and Shock both had two hits.

Senior pitcher Andrew Krull (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) started and threw two shutout innings. Freshman Chris Curran (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Brush), freshman Lee Coppock (Charlottesville, Va./The Covenant School) and junior Max Vickerman (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) all pitched in relief. Vickerman threw a scoreless sixth. Coppock allowed one run in the fifth and took the setback.

Case Western jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first inning of Game Two. Grove City broke through with three runs in the top of the sixth. Struharik roped a two-run single and sophomore DH Ryan Parker (Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston) added a run-scoring single.

Freshman catcher Pete Garthwaite (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) doubled while freshman first baseman J.R. Willard (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) went 2 for 2.

Sophomore pitcher Brandon Baker (Germantown, Md./Northwest) started and absorbed the defeat for Grove City. Freshman C.J. Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian), freshman Blaine Lang (Canfield, Ohio/Ursuline), freshman Tom Chaney (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) and junior Zach Butler (Massillon, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) all pitched in relief. Lang allowed one run in three innings. Chaney and Fitzgerald each yielded one earned run in an inning and Butler threw a scoreless sixth.

Grove City will open Presidents' Athletic Conference play Friday at 3 p.m. against visiting Bethany in a single nine-inning game at R. Jack Behringer Field.

Game One Box Score            Game Two Box Score

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