GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team dropped a 6-5 decision Monday afternoon to visiting Thiel in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Jack Behringer Field. Thiel scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth to break a 5-5 tie.

Grove City trailed 5-0 entering the bottom of the fifth before beginning its comeback. Sophomore shortstop Bob Abbott (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) singled with one out while senior left fielder Tyler Graham (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) followed with a walk. Abbott then scored on an error while junior third baseman Micah Burke (Gilbert, Ariz./E.V.A.C.) drove in Graham with a groundout.

The Wolverines then forged a 5-5 tie by scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh. Abbott and Graham each walked to help ignite the inning. Freshman second baseman Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian) singled in Abbott, cutting the lead to 5-3.

Burke then roped a game-tying two-run double that scored Graham and Clary. Burke went 2 for 4 and knocked in three runs while Abbott finished 2 for 3.

Freshman pitcher D.J. Newby (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) started for Grove City and pitched five innings. He struck out five and walked five while yielding six hits. Sophomore reliever Corey Thomas (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) pitched three innings of relief. He allowed one hit and the unearned run in the eighth. Thomas took the defeat and is now 1-1 this year. 

Sophomore Austin Wacker (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) pitched a hitless ninth inning for Grove City (7-9, 1-1).

Grove City returns to action Thursday at 11 a.m. with a conference doubleheader against Saint Vincent. That doubleheader will be played at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa.