March 6, 2012

Grove City opens season with 2-3 mark in Florida

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Grove City College baseball team opened the 2012 season March 1-3 by playing five games at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

The Wolverines began the trip by sweeping Milwaukee School of Engineering March 1, 8-5 and 7-6. Grove City dropped a 14-4 decision to Wartburg the next day before falling in a doubleheader to Wentworth, 13-3 and 7-4.

Junior catcher Doug Wells (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) helped lead the Grove City offense by hitting .438 (7 for 16) with three doubles and five runs batted in. Sophomore shortstop Tom Hawley (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) went 6 for 17 (.353) with three doubles, a triple and a .647 slugging percentage.

Junior left fielder Zack Struharik (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) tripled while Hawley, junior center fielder Josh Sacks (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) and junior first baseman Kyle Shock (Loudonville, Ohio/Hillsdale) all doubled in the season-opening win over MSOE. Sacks and junior right fielder Cameron Jones (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) both had two hits.

Junior Zach Butler (Massillon, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) earned the win by pitching five innings. Junior Max Vickerman (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) earned the save with two scoreless innings of relief.

In Game Two against MSOE, the Wolverines scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the win. Struharik singled in Wells to tie the game and moments later, sophomore pinch runner John Rende (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) scored the game-winner on an error.

Wells went 4 for 4 with two runs batted in. Sophomore right fielder Randen Schleiden (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North) went 2 for 3 with two runs scored while freshman catcher Pete Garthwaite (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) doubled.

Senior reliever Andrew Krull (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) earned the victory with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Freshman Will Chaney (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) started and allowed three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked none.

Hawley and Wells both doubled Friday against Wartburg. Wartburg limited Grove City to just three hits for the game.

Freshman Chris Curran (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Brush) started and pitched three innings for the Wolverines, taking the setback. Freshmen Blaine Lang (Canfield, Ohio/Ursuline) and C.J. Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian) both pitched in relief.

Hawley and senior second baseman Brandon Durbin (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) both tripled in the first game against Wentworth Saturday.

Freshman pitcher Lee Coppock (Charlottesville, Va./Covenant School) started and pitched 2 1/3 innings. Freshman Tom Chaney (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief and sophomore Brandon Baker (Germantown, Md./Northwest) recorded the final six outs in relief.

In Game Two of the Wentworth doubleheader, Grove City forged a 4-4 tie in the top of the sixth when sophomore second baseman Matt Corner (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock) doubled and later scored on a Jones single. However, Wentworth pulled ahead with three runs in the bottom half of the sixth.

Hawley and Wells also doubled while Struharik went 2 for 3 with two runs batted in. Vickerman threw a complete game, allowing three earned runs in six innings. He struck out four and walked only one.

Grove City will visit Otterbein Wednesday in a non-conference doubleheader at 1 p.m.

MSOE Game One Box Score            MSOE Game Two Box Score

Wartburg Box Score            Wentworth Game One Box Score            Wentworth Game Two Box Score

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