April 9, 2011

Grove City splits with Thiel

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team moved to 5-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon by splitting a conference doubleheader with visiting Thiel at R. Jack Behringer Field. Grove City rallied for a 4-3, nine-inning win in the opener but Thiel bounced back to take a 10-5 win in Game Two.

Grove City trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh but senior shortstop Scott Moran (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) laced a two-run single that scored senior left fielder Butch Kriger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) and senior center fielder Dan Quirk (Albany, N.Y./Schuylerville). Kriger opened the inning with a walk and Quirk followed with a single.

Moran then scored the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth as he doubled and then came home on a single down the left-field line by freshman third baseman Tom Hawley (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora).

Senior pitcher Cory Metcalf (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) earned the win for the Wolverines (10-9 overall) after firing a complete game. Metcalf struck out three and did not walk any in nine innings. He did yield 13 hits but only one went for extra bases.

Kriger also went 2 for 2 with two runs scored. He scored Grove City's first run in the bottom of the third on an error. Hawley also had two hits.

Thiel jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the third inning of Game Two. Grove City pulled to within 7-2 in the bottom of the third by scoring twice without a hit. Kriger walked and Quirk reached on a hit batsman. Following a sacrifice bunt by sophomore right fielder Josh Sacks (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian), Kriger scored on a passed ball. Quirk came home on a Moran sacrifice fly.

Grove City cut Thiel's lead to 10-5 in the fifth on run-scoring singles by freshman first baseman Ryan Parker (Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston) and senior DH Kyle Wolff (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville). However, the Wolverines could draw no closer.

Quirk and Wolff both had two of Grove City's eight hits.

Sophomore pitcher Zach Butler (Massillon, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) took the setback after allowing five earned runs in three innings. Sophomore Max Vickerman (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley), senior Matt Smith (Albany, N.Y./Loudonville Christian) and senior Steve Stombaugh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) all pitched in relief.

Grove City will visit Thiel Monday at 4 p.m. in a single PAC game.

Game One Box Score                Game Two Box Score

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