Game Box Score                                                                                                                                           April 10, 2003

Grove City rallies past Westminster in PAC clash
by Greg Knowlden, sports information student assistant

GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Grove City College baseball team (6-6, 4-3 PAC) twice battled from behind, then caught and finally beat visiting Westminster 7-6 in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference showdown Thursday afternoon. 

Each team left a pair of runners in scoring position in the first inning.  Grove City starter freshman Ryan Carr (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) and Titan hurler Pat Boyle matched zeros through the first four frames. 

In the fifth, a Westminster home run with two outs after a pair of Wolverine errors put the Titans up 3-0.  However, the Wolverines responded as junior second baseman Jake Cuthbert (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon), freshman DH Jerry Ott (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette), sophomore first baseman Joel Diller (Harville, Ohio/Marlington), and freshman shortstop Mike Ritter (Moon, PA/Moon) hit consecutive two-out singles to score three runs. 

The Titans got one in the sixth and seventh to push their lead to 5-3.  A triple by Cuthbert was followed by a double by Ott to generate a run for Grove City in the bottom of the seventh.  In the top of the eighth, sophomore Mike Gundy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian), on in relief of Carr, stranded men at second and third with a strikeout and bouncer to the mound to keep the Wolverines within reach. 

With one out in the bottom half of the eighth, sophomore catcher A.J. Stedford (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) came through with a clutch home run to left-center, his first collegiate blast.  Sophomore outfielder Michael McMillen (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) followed with a single, and freshman center fielder Jason DeMeo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) drilled a double to right-center.  After a strikeout, the Titans attempted to intentionally walk Ott, who was 3-for-3 on the day.  

However, the first pitch was thrown over the catcher, allowing McMillen to score the go-ahead run.  Ott went down to first on the intentional walk.  DeMeo scored on a delayed double steal for an insurance run that would prove to be invaluable. 

Westminster’s first two batters reached in the top of the ninth, which brought Cuthbert to the mound for a save opportunity.  Stedford threw a runner out stealing, his third of the game, for the first out.  After an infield single that plated a run, McMillen tracked down a fly ball in the gap in right-center for the second out, and Cuthbert and Stedford teamed up for a strikeout to close the contest. 

Cuthbert was 3-for-4 with two runs, and Ott reached base in all five plate appearances.  Diller collected a pair of singles for the Wolverines, and Ritter, the reigning conference player of the week, had a pair of runs batted in. 

Grove City will play a full slate of conference action over the next week as they make up postponed games and look to qualify for post-season conference play.

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