March 11, 2016

Wolverines open PAC play with split at W&J

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Freshman Derek Boyle (Stafford, Va./Brooke Point) drilled a pinch-hit, three-run double in the top of the seventh inning to lead the Grove City College baseball team to a 5-1 game-one victory and a doubleheader split with Washington & Jefferson in Presidents' Athletic Conference action on Friday evening at Ross Memorial Park. The Wolverines (3-2, 1-1 PAC) fell 4-0 in the nightcap.

After a quiet first three innings, Grove City struck first in the opener as junior right fielder Nolan Myers (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) led off the top of the fourth with a triple to right center field. Myers would come home one batter later when junior first baseman Matt Waugaman (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) singled to left, giving the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.

That lead would hold until the bottom of the fifth, when a Wolverine error put Michael Ruffing in position to score on a Derek Helbing sacrifice fly, evening the score at 1-1.

The score remained tied into the seventh inning, but junior catcher Andy Fritz (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) started Grove City's rally with a one-out double down the left-field line. Freshman Micah Burke (Gilbert, Ariz./EVAC) was hit by a pitch and freshman Travis Auth (Medina, Ohio/Medina) singled to shallow left to load the bases. Boyle then stepped in as a pinch-hitter and cleared the bases with a three-run double down the left field line to give Grove City a 4-1 lead.

Sophomore center fielder Tyler Graham (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) and freshman left fielder Shane Hammel (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge) were both hit by pitches to re-load the bases, and sophomore pinch runner Cameron Smail (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) came home to score an insurance run on an infield single by Myers, making it a 5-1 game.

Junior Cameron Lawson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) took care of the rest, coming in to pitch the seventh in relief and allowing just one hit in a scoreless inning to seal the victory.

Freshman John Bini (Staten Island, N.Y./Xaverian) moved to 2-0 on the year with a strong effort in his first collegiate start, allowing just seven hits and a single unearned run while striking out three over six innings.

In the nightcap, the Presidents (1-1, 1-1) broke a scoreless deadlock with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and added an insurance run in the sixth to earn a 4-0 victory. W&J's Bryce Schnatterly held the Wolverines to just one hit in the shutout.

Sophomore Drew Landis (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) took the loss on the mound for Grove City, allowing three runs on six hits in five innings of work. Senior lefty Kenny Saltsman (Salem, Ohio/Salem) threw the sixth inning in relief, allowing two hits and one run while striking out the side.

Grove City's victory in Game One was their first win over the Presidents since 2012 and their first win in Washington since 2011.

Grove City returns to action on Monday, visiting La Roche in a non-conference doubleheader at 1 p.m.

Game One Box Score       Game Two Box Score

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