AUBURNDALE, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to take their first lead of the game but Juniata rallied back with a three-run ninth as the Wolverines fell to the Eagles 5-4 in a nine-inning game as part of the RussMatt Central Florida Baseball Invitational on Thursday afternoon at Lake Myrtle Park Field No. 5.

Junior left fielder Tyler Graham (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) led the Wolverines (3-5) by going 2 for 4 while sophomore right fielder Shane Hammel (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge) hit a double and drove in a run. Freshman center fielder Austin Wacker (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) tripled and scored twice.

Grove City took advantage of three Juniata miscues to break a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth. Sophomore third baseman Micah Burke (Gilbert, Ariz./EVAC) led the inning with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball. Senior designated hitter Nolan Myers (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) moved Burke to third with a sacrifice bunt, and Burke then came home to score on a wild pitch to give Grove City a 3-2 lead. After Wacker drew a walk and advanced to second on a second wild pitch, Hammel traded him places with a double to right center to give the Wolverines a 4-2 lead.

It wouldn't be quite enough, however, as Juniata (3-9) opened the top of the ninth with back-to-back singles. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, and singles by Devin Carper and Chris Schreder tied the game at 4-4. Adam Kipp and Isaac Kline then drew consecutive walks to give the Eagles a 5-4 lead, and Grove City couldn't answer in the bottom of the ninth.

Juniata scored twice in the top of the second to take an early 2-0 lead and would carry that lead into the fourth. Wacker hit a one-out triple in the bottom of the fourth and came home to score on a passed ball to cut the Eagles' lead to 2-1. The Wolverines later tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI-sacrifice fly by freshman first baseman Matt Dayton (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) that scored Graham.

Freshman Corey Thomas (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) took the loss on the mound for the Wolverines, allowing three runs on three hits in one-plus innings of action. Sophomore Phil Bell (Poland, Ohio/Heartland Christian) started and worked six innings for Grove City, scattering 10 hits and two runs while striking out three. Senior Cedric Hils (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) allowed three hits in one and one-third scoreless innings while freshman Henry Womble (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) allowed one hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning.

The Wolverines will try to bounce back tomorrow when they face Coe (Iowa) at 2:45 p.m.at Lake Myrtle Park Field No. 6.