April 14, 2012

Wolverines split with Geneva

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team split a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader with visiting Geneva Saturday afternoon in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at R. Jack Behringer Field. Grove City earned a 10-3 win in Game One but Geneva held off a late Wolverine rally in the second game to earn an 8-5 win.

Grove City took command of the opener by erupting for five runs in the bottom of the third. Junior first baseman Kyle Shock (Loudonville, Ohio/Hillsdale) struck a game-tying single that scored sophomore shortstop Tom Hawley (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora). Shock then scored on an error after a single by junior left fielder Zach Struharik (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman).

Junior right fielder Cameron Jones (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) followed with a two-run single, boosting the lead to 6-3. Sophomore second baseman John Rende (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) scored the fifth run of the inning when he came home on a groundout by junior center fielder Josh Sacks (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian).

In the fourth, Struharik doubled in Hawley, stretching the lead to 8-3. Struharik later scored on a wild pitch. Rende singled in Shock in the bottom of the sixth to close the scoring.

Struharik finished 3 for 4 while Shock went 2 for 3. Both players scored twice, as did Hawley. Sacks added a triple.

Junior pitcher Max Vickerman (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) earned the victory after allowing two earned runs in six innings. He scattered seven hits. Freshman Tom Chaney (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) pitched a scoreless seventh.

Geneva (14-16, 8-10) jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the second game but Grove City cut the lead in half with four fifth-inning runs. Senior second baseman Brandon Durbin (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) scored the first run on Jones' groundout while Hawley singled in sophomore DH Ryan Parker (Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston) with the second run. Sacks and Hawley both scored on wild pitches, cutting the lead to 8-4.

In the seventh, Hawley doubled and eventually scored on a Struharik sacrifice fly. The Wolverines brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh but could not force extra innings. Hawley finished 2 for 4 while Shock doubled.

Freshman pitcher Blaine Lang (Canfield, Ohio/Ursuline) started and took the setback for Grove City. He allowed four earned runs in three innings. Senior Andrew Krull (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) pitched the fourth and allowed two runs.

Freshmen Chris Curran (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Brush), Lee Coppock (Charlottesville, Va./Covenant School) and C.J. Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian) all pitched one inning of scoreless relief.

Grove City (5-19, 3-9 PAC) will visit Waynesburg Tuesday for a conference doubleheader at 1 p.m.

Game One Box Score            Game Two Box Score

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