April 16, 2016

Another sweep for Grove City

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team improved to 12-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference by sweeping a doubleheader Saturday afternoon from visiting Waynesburg at R. Jack Behringer Field. Grove City earned a 6-1 win in the opener and then secured a 7-4 win in the second game.

Grove City is now 20-7 overall, which marks the program's best-ever record through 27 games. It is the fourth time in program history that Grove City has surpassed the 20-win mark in program history.

In the opener, junior pitcher Ben Finlan (State College, Pa./State College) fired a complete game to earn his third win of the season. Finlan (3-0) struck out five in seven innings.

Offensively, freshman third baseman Micah Burke (Gilbert, Ariz./E.V.A.C.) paced Grove City by going 3 for 4 with two doubles. Junior shortstop David Laylock (Mars, Pa./Pine-Richland) added a pair of hits and drove in two runs.

Grove City pulled ahead in the bottom of the third when junior catcher Andy Fritz (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) drove in sophomore center fielder Tyler Graham (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) with a sacrifice fly and Burke followed by singling in Laylock.

 In Grove City's four-run fifth inning, Graham and freshman left fielder Shane Hammel (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge) both had run-scoring singles. Laylock closed the scoring with a two-run single.

Four men produced two hits each in Grove City's Game Two triumph. Sophomore second baseman Drew Landis (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) doubled twice while Burke, Hammel and senior DH Travis Royer (Forest, Va./Twin Valley, Pa.) all added two singles. Laylock drove in three runs while junior first baseman Matt Waugaman (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) also doubled.

Grove City led 4-3 entering the bottom of the fifth but helped break open the game with a pair of runs. Waugaman drove in Graham with a sacrifice fly while Fritz followed by singling in Laylock. Laylock's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning closed Grove City's scoring as he drove in freshman pinch runner Travis Auth (Medina, Ohio/Medina).

Senior pitcher Ryan Gallagher (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) earned the win by pitching 3 2/3 innings of relief. Gallagher allowed just two hits and one run. Junior starter Cameron Lawson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) allowed one hit and three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Grove City returns to action Tuesday with a conference doubleheader at Bethany.

First Game Box Score        Second Game Box Score

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