April 21, 2011

Grove City sweeps Thomas More

STRUTHERS, Ohio -- The Grove City College baseball team completed a season sweep of No. 18 Thomas More Thursday afternoon by taking both ends of a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Cene Park. The Wolverines (16-13, 11-6 PAC) earned a 9-7 win in the opener and then pulled out an 8-6 win in Game Two.

In Game One, Grove City led 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth but the Wolverines broke open the game with a four-run outburst. Sophomore right fielder Josh Sacks (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) and senior shortstop Scott Moran (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) both struck run-scoring singles and senior second baseman Andrew Patterson (Akron, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) followed with a two-run triple.

Sacks scored Grove City's first run of the game in the first inning when he came home on a sacrifice fly by senior DH Marcus Magister (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton). Moran then highlighted a four-run rally in the second by roping a two-run double.

The Wolverines collected 15 hits in the opener. Moran and Sacks both had three hits, as did sophomore catcher Doug Wells (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's). Wells also doubled and scored two runs. Senior left fielder Butch Kriger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) went 2 for 2 and scored twice while Patterson also had two hits.

Senior pitcher Cory Metcalf (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) improved to 6-0 by earning the win. He allowed seven runs in 5 1/3 innings. Senior reliever Steve Stombaugh (Mount Lebanon, Pa./Mount Lebanon) earned the save by throwing 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Grove City jumped out to a 6-0 lead in Game Two and held off a Thomas More comeback effort. Grove City scored three first-inning runs thanks to a Sacks single, two walks, an error, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by freshman third baseman Tom Hawley (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora).

The Wolverines doubled the lead in the fourth with three more runs. Hawley led off with a double and Sacks also cracked a run-scoring double later in the inning. Moran closed the inning with a two-run double.

Thomas More (20-6, 10-5 PAC) closed to within 6-5 but the Wolverines scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Kriger walked with the bases loaded and Magister singled in Moran in the sixth.

Kriger doubled as part of another 2 for 2 outing. Hawley, Moran and Sacks also had two hits each.

Sophomore pitcher Zach Butler (Massillon, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) earned his third win of the season by pitching four scoreless innings. Sophomore Max Vickerman (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) and junior Andrew Krull (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) combined to work the fifth and sixth innings. Stombaugh pitched the seventh to notch his second save of the day.

Stombaugh is the first Grove City reliever to save both ends of a doubleheader since Justin Miller achieved that feat against St. John's (Minn.) March 2, 2007. Kriger is hitting .581 (18 for 31) with two homers and five doubles over his last 10 games. This is the first season that Grove City has swept the season series with Thomas More. Grove City earned a 4-1 win over the Saints April 3 at Cene Park.

Grove City will host Waynesburg Wednesday, April 27 at R. Jack Behringer Field in conference action.

Game One Box Score            Game Two Box Score

Go back to Wolverine Baseball Home Page