WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team concluded the 2017 season Saturday afternoon by dropping a pair of games to top-seeded Washington & Jefferson in the championship round of the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament at Ross Memorial Park. W&J won the opener 8-1, then took an 8-1 decision in the second game.

In the opener, Grove City (19-19 overall) trailed 4-0 in the fifth before breaking through when senior first baseman Matt Waugaman (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) scored on an error. 

W&J (34-10) pulled away over the final four innings, scoring once in each inning.

Freshman DH Matt Dayton (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) doubled in the opener while sophomore left fielder Travis Auth (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and senior catcher Andy Fritz (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) both singled. 

Freshman pitcher Austin Wacker (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) pitched five innings and allowed five earned runs. He took the setback. Sophomore Phil Bell (Poland, Ohio/Heartland Christian) pitched three innings of relief, yielding three runs.

In the second game, the winner-take-all game, Grove City grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Auth tripled and scored on Dayton's groundout. W&J surged ahead with three runs in the third inning before adding single runs in the fourth and fifth. Nick Vento's three-run home run in the seventh closed the scoring.

Dayton and senior shortstop David Laylock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pine-Richland) both singled for the Wolverines.

Senior pitcher Ben Finlan (State College, Pa./State College) started and pitched into the seventh for Grove City, allowing four earned runs. Freshman Corey Thomas (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) pitched two innings of relief while freshman Henry Womble (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) pitched the ninth.

Grove City will graduate Finlan, Fritz, DH Nick Fryer (Medina, Ohio/Medina), pitcher Cedric Hils (West Homestead, Pa./Central Catholic), pitcher Cameron Lawson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills), Laylock, outfielder Nolan Myers (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield), pitcher Jimmy Palmer (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and Waugmaman.

Myers tied Grove City's career record Saturday by playing in his 149th career game. Myers tied the record set by Butch Kriger from 2008 to 2011.

Fritz, Waugaman and sophomore third baseman Micah Burke (Gilbert, Ariz./E.V.A.C.) earned All-Tournament honors.