BETHANY, W.Va. -- The Grove City College baseball team rallied to earn a split Wednesday afternoon at Presidents' Athletic Conference foe Bethany. After dropping an 8-3 verdict in the opener, Grove City rebounded for a 6-5 victory in the nightcap.

Grove City (7-5, 1-1 PAC) trailed 5-3 entering the top of the eighth before assembling a three-run rally. Senior catcher Derek Boyle (Stafford, Va./Brooke Point) sparked the comeback with a leadoff double. He scored on a one-out single by senior center fielder Shane Hammel (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge), cutting the lead to 5-4.

With two outs, senior pinch hitter Bobby Dulay (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) singled in sophomore pinch hitter Tanner Orner (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley), who had reached on an error. Hammel then scored the go-ahead run when junior shortstop Bobby Abbott (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) singled. 

In the bottom of the ninth, Bethany had runners on first and third with one out but winning pitcher Joel Engstrom (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) preserved the lead by retiring the next two batters. 

Grove City trailed 2-1 in the sixth inning but junior first baseman Matt Dayton (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) belted a two-run homer to give the Wolverines the lead. 

Hammel led Grove City's 16-hit attack by going 4 for 5. Sophomore second baseman Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian) went 3 for 5 while Abbott, Boyle and senior third baseman Micah Burke (Gilbert, Ariz./E.V.A.C.) all had two hits. 

Engstrom (3-0) earned the win after pitching three scoreless innings of relief. He struck out three and walked one. Sophomore Lake Pry (West Sunbury, Pa./Moniteau) pitched into the seventh inning, allowing four earned runs. Pry allowed five hits and struck out four.

Burke doubled and singled in the opener while Hammel finished 2 for 3 with a sacrifice fly. Senior pitcher John Bini (Staten Island, N.Y./Xaverian) started for the Wolverines and allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings. Sophomore D.J. Newby (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief. Junior Austin Wacker (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) pitched a scoreless sixth in relief. 

Grove City will face Penn State Greater Allegheny at 1 p.m. Friday in non-conference play. The game will be played at Kelly Automotive Park in Butler, Pa.