March 27, 2012

Westminster tops Grove City

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team dropped both ends of a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at conference leader Westminster. Grove City fell in the opener 8-2 and then dropped a 7-4 decision in the nightcap.

In Game One, Grove City broke through with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, trimming Westminster's lead to 5-2. Freshman catcher Pete Garthwaite (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) led off with a walk and eventually scored on an error. Sophomore left fielder Randen Schleiden (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North) singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore shortstop Tom Hawley (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora).

Westminster countered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to break open the game, however. Schleiden finished the game 2 for 4. Westminster held Grove City to five hits.

Senior pitcher Andrew Krull (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) started for the Wolverines and yielded five runs. Freshman Chris Curran (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Brush) allowed three runs in two innings of relief. Freshman Tom Chaney (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) pitched a scoreless sixth.

Grove City trailed 2-0 entering the third inning of Game Two but rallied to take the lead with four runs. Junior center fielder Josh Sacks (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) singled, moved to second on a groundout and then scored on a single from junior DH Zach Struharik (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman). Struharik scored the tying run on a double from junior first baseman Kyle Shock (Loudonville, Ohio/Hillsdale).

Grove City pulled ahead when Shock came home on a single by senior second baseman Brandon Durbin (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley). Durbin later stole home on the front end of a double steal, putting the Wolverines ahead 4-2.

Westminster reclaimed the lead with a three-run rally in the bottom of the third, then added single runs in the fourth and sixth innings.

Shock doubled twice for the Wolverines, who finished with eight hits.

Freshman Blaine Lang (Canfield, Ohio/Ursuline) started on the mound for Grove City and yielded four earned runs in three innings. Lang took the setback. Freshman C.J. Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian) allowed one run in the fourth, freshman Lee Coppock (Charlottesville, Va./The Covenant School) pitched a scoreless fifth and Chaney struck out two men in the sixth.

Grove City will visit Thomas More Friday at 3 p.m. for a single conference game. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon.

Game One Box Score            Game Two Box Score

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