WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Grove City College baseball team used a nine-run fifth inning to rally from a 6-0 deficit to hand head coach Matt Royer his 500th career NCAA coaching victory with a 10-6 triumph over Penn State Altoona on Wednesday afternoon at the Chain of Lakes Park Stadium as part of the RussMatt Central Florida Baseball Invitational.

Sophomore left fielder Travis Auth (Medina, Ohio/Medina) went 2 for 3 with three RBI, driving in all three runs on a key bases-clearing triple during Grove City's fifth-inning outburst, while senior shortstop David Laylock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pine Richland) posted a pair of hits and drove in a pair. Senior catcher Andy Fritz (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) also recorded two hits.

Royer, who is 30-21 in his second season at the helm of the Wolverines, now owns a 500-387 record as a head coach at four-year, NCAA-member institutions while coaching at all three NCAA Divisions. After a three-year stint at NCAA Division III Wheaton (Ill.), Royer built Kutztown into an NCAA Division II powerhouse in 10 years as coach from 1993 to 2002, including NCAA Division II World Series appearances in 2001 and 2002. From 2003 to 2007, Royer worked as head coach at his alma mater, Liberty University, where he led the Flames to three 30-win seasons, including a program-best 39 victories in 2006. After a decade away from the collegiate ranks, Royer came to Grove City last year on an interim bases and led the Wolverines to a program-record 27 wins and the 2016 ECAC Division III South Championship.

Grove City (3-4) struggled early, committing six errors during the first five innings to allow the Lions (5-6) to jump out to a 6-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Grove City would return the favor, taking advantage of a pair of errors while compiling seven hits to score nine runs, including five unearned. Fritz opened the inning with a single to left field and advanced to second when sophomore third baseman Micah Burke (Gilbert, Ariz./EVAC) drew a walk. A Lions' fielding error allowed senior second baseman Nolan Myers (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) to reach and load the bases, and, after a strikeout, Hammel singled through the right side to score Fritz and get the Wolverines on the board.

That left the bases loaded for Auth, who drilled a ball down the right field line for a triple to score all three baserunners and then advance home on a throwing error to bring the Wolverines within one at 6-5. Junior center fielder Tyler Graham (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) followed with a double to left and then stole third base, allowing him to score on a Laylock groundout to tie the score at 6-6. After freshman first baseman Matt Dayton (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) was hit by a pitch, Fritz sent him home with a double to left to give Grove City a 7-6 lead. Burke then traded Fritz places by hitting an RBI-single to left and advancing to second on the throw home, and Myers closed the rally and gave Grove City a 9-6 lead by scoring Burke with a single to right field.

The Wolverines added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Auth singled and later scored on a Laylock single.

The Lions would give one final surge against Wolverine freshman reliever Henry Womble (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) in the top of the ninth as Jim Shomberg hit a two-out double to left center to give the Lions runners on second and third. Womble would shut the door on the threat, however, by inducing a Gavin Roselli groundout to end the game.

Freshman Austin Wacker (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) started and earned his first collegiate victory on the mound, scattering eight hits and one earned run over seven innings while striking out four. Myers threw a perfect eighth inning in relief with a strikeout while Womble struck out one in a scoreless ninth.

For the game, the Wolverines outhit the Lions 11-10. Shomberg recorded five of the Penn State Altoona's 10 hits.

Grove City continues in action at the RussMatt Invitational tomorrow afternoon, facing Juniata at 12:30 p.m.