April 30, 2012

Wolverines earn split with W&J

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team earned a doubleheader split with Presidents' Athletic Conference leader Washington & Jefferson Monday afternoon at R. Jack Behringer Field. Grove City rallied from a 9-2 hole to take Game One, 11-9. In Game Two, W&J held off a late Wolverine rally to escape with an 8-6 victory.

In the opener, Grove City trailed 9-2 entering the bottom of the fourth but slashed the lead to 9-6. Junior center fielder Josh Sacks (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) helped ignite the inning with a two-run single while sophomore left fielder Randen Schleiden (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North) cracked a two-run double.

The Wolverines then pulled ahead with a four-run fifth inning. Junior first baseman Kyle Shock (Loudonville, Ohio/Hillsdale) led off with a single and eventually scored when sophomore shortstop Matt Corner (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock) earned a bases-loaded walk. Junior right fielder Cameron Jones (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) tied the game with a two-run single that drove in sophomore catcher Evan Hoskinson (Uniontown, Ohio/Green) and senior second baseman Brandon Durbin (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley).

Corner scored the go-ahead run when Sacks reached on a fielder's choice. The Wolverines added an insurance run in the sixth when freshman third baseman J.R. Willard (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) singled in sophomore pinch runner John Rende (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic).

Durbin helped lead Grove City by going 3 for 4 while Schleiden doubled twice. Schleiden and Sacks both drove in three runs. Junior DH Zach Struharik (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) added two hits.

Junior pitcher Max Vickerman (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) earned the win by firing his fourth complete game of the season. Vickerman struck out three and allowed eight earned runs in seven innings.

In Game Two, Grove City trailed 3-0 in the sixth inning but Rende laced a two-run single that scored Willard and Shock. W&J posted five runs in the top of the seventh but the Wolverines countered in the home half of the inning.

Sacks singled in Schleiden, who had led off with a single. Shock followed with a run-scoring single that brought home freshman third baseman Mason McFeaters (Harrisville, Pa./Franklin). Willard's two-run single cut the lead to 8-6 with no outs.

However, the Wolverines could not complete the comeback.

Schleiden went 3 for 4 to lead Grove City's 10-hit attack. Rende, Shock and Willard all had two hits each.

Junior pitcher Zach Butler (Massillon, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) allowed three runs in six innings for Grove City. Butler took the setback, however. Freshman Tom Chaney (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) and senior Andrew Krull (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) combined to pitch the seventh in relief.

Grove City will visit Saint Vincent Friday in conference action at 3 p.m.

First Game Box Score                Second Game Box Score

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