May 14, 2010

Wolverines 3rd at PAC Tournament

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team went 1-1 in the second day of action at the 2010 Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, earning third place in the league Friday night at Washington & Jefferson's Ross Memorial Park.

Grove City (19-19) opened play Friday with an 11-6 victory over longtime rival Westminster in an elimination game. However, Grove City's bid for a second conference title in three seasons came to an end Friday night as Thomas More handed the Wolverines a 5-2 setback in the loser's bracket final.

Against Westminster, Grove City took control of the game by exploding for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth. Junior third baseman Andrew Patterson (Akron, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) ignited the inning by tripling in junior catcher Marcus Magister (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton). Patterson then scored on a single by junior center fielder Dan Quirk (Schuylerville, N.Y./Schuylerville).

Senior first baseman Tyler Thompson (Lee, Maine/Lee Academy) and freshman second baseman Zach Butler (Massillon, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) each followed with run-scoring doubles while freshman right fielder Josh Sacks (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) added an RBI single.

Grove City extended the lead to 9-1 in the fifth inning as Thompson laced a run-scoring single and Butler hit a sacrifice fly. Junior shortstop Scott Moran (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) closed the Grove City scoring with a two-run double in the seventh.

Sacks went 3 for 3 with two walks while Patterson and Moran both had two hits, as did Thompson.

Junior pitcher Cory Metcalf (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) improved to 4-4 on the season by pitching a season-high 8 2/3 innings for the win. He allowed six runs while striking out two. Junior Steve Stombaugh (Mount Lebanon, Pa./Mount Lebanon) recorded the final out of the ninth.

Thomas More broke a 2-2 tie by scoring three runs in the top of the seventh in Friday's nightcap. Freshman pitcher Erick Locker (Canton, Ohio/Lake Center Christian) pitched a career-high 6 1/3 innings and allowed four earned runs for the Wolverines. Locker absorbed the defeat, however.

Offensively, Thomas More limited Grove City to just seven singles. Junior DH Kyle Wolff (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) went 2 for 3 for the Wolverines. Wolff singled and scored in the bottom of the second to forge a 1-1 tie. In the fifth, Moran scored on an error to tie the game at 2-2.

Stombaugh pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and Butler pitched a scoreless ninth.

Thomas More will face top-seeded Washington & Jefferson Saturday at 1 p.m. in the tournament title game.

Game One Box Score                Game Two Box Score

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