April 13, 2013

Grove City rallies for split

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team split a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader with visiting Thomas More Saturday afternoon at R. Jack Behringer Field. Grove City dropped the opener in 10 innings, 8-7, but rebounded for a come-from-behind 6-5 win in Game Two. The win is the 250th for 16th-year head coach Rob Skaricich.

In the nightcap, the Wolverines fell behind 4-0 in the first inning but battled back for the victory. Senior left fielder Zach Struharik (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) belted a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the third to give the Wolverines a 6-4 lead.

In the seventh, freshman pitcher Ryan Gallagher (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) worked out of a bases-loaded jam to pick up his second save of the season.

Grove City pulled to within 4-3 in the second inning as two walks, an error and a passed ball helped ignite the inning. Senior center fielder Josh Sacks (Columbia, Md./Chapelgate Christian) cut Thomas More's lead to one when he singled in junior third baseman Matt Corner (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock).

Freshman DH Kenny McCracken (Wheaton, Ill./Aurora Christian) singled twice and scored a pair of runs while Struharik also scored twice. The Wolverines left just three men on base.

Sophomore pitcher Mason Stephens (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) earned his first collegiate win by striking out six men in five innings. Sophomore Chris Curran (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Brush) pitched a scoreless sixth inning of relief.

Corner, Struharik and sophomore first baseman Reese Swatsworth (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) all had two hits in the opener. Grove City trailed 6-2 entering the bottom of the fourth but charged back with a five-run outburst. Swatsworth led off with a single and eventually scored on a single from freshman shortstop J.R. Mountain (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane).

Corner and senior right fielder Cameron Jones (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) both scored on an error, cutting the lead to 6-5. Senior catcher Garrett Herald (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) then put the Wolverines ahead with a two-run single that drove in Sacks and Mountain.

Thomas More (17-7, 9-4 PAC) tied the game in the sixth and then pushed across the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th.

Senior pitcher Zach Butler (Massillon, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) started and pitched eight innings for Grove City. He yielded six earned runs and seven hits. Freshman Scott Williams (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) threw two innings of relief and allowed one run. He took the setback.

Grove City will host conference foe Geneva Monday at 4 p.m.

Game One Box Score                Game Two Box Score

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