WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Grove City College softball team earned its way into the double-elimination portion of the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament by securing a pair of tournament victories Thursday afternoon at Washington & Jefferson College's Brooks Park. 

Grove City opened the day with a 7-5 victory over Chatham in the first single-elimination game of the day. The Wolverines then blanked host W&J, 6-0, in Thursday's second elimination game. Fifth-seeded Grove City will now face top-seeded Geneva at noon Friday in the conference tournament. 

After scoring single runs in each of the first two innings against No. 6 Chatham, the Wolverines took command of the opener by scoring four runs in the third inning. Junior shortstop Lexi Buck (Akron, Ohio/Lake Center Christian), freshman left fielder Lauren McNeil (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) and senior pitcher Ashley Cornelius (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman) all cracked run-scoring singles in the inning. Freshman catcher Lauren Harris (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) drove in McNeil with a sacrifice fly. 

In the sixth, Grove City pushed its lead to 7-1 when senior right fielder Hannah Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) walked with the bases loaded, forcing home junior center fielder Morgan Prouty (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley). 

Sophomore DP Janessa Dawson (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley) opened the game with a double and then scored on a single by senior first baseman Haley Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton). Cornelius then doubled home McNeil in the second inning.

Junior second baseman Cara Polese (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest) doubled and singled for Grove City while McNeil finished 2 for 4. Cornelius went 2 for 3. 

Cornelius earned the pitching win by striking out seven batters over seven innings. She yielded four earned runs while improving to 11-8. 

Dawson highlighted the nightcap by firing a five-hit shutout for the Wolverines. She recored her second shutout of the season and her first seven-inning shutout of 2021 by striking out three and walking only one in seven innings. 

Grove City scored solitary runs in each of the first three innings. Dawson scored on a first-inning error to put Grove City up 1-0. McNeil scored Grove City's second run when she came in on a groundout by freshman DP Erin Mulholland (Malvern, Pa./Delaware County Christian). In the third, Buck blasted a double that scored Hannah Dietz. 

The Wolverines then sealed the win with three runs in the top of fifth. Sophomore third baseman Maddie Clark (West Sunbury, Pa./Moniteau) singled in Hannah Dietz. W&J errors allowed Dawson and Haley Dietz to also score.

Clark went 2 for 3 while Dawson and Hannah Dietz each finished 2 for 4. 

The wins are Grove City's first in the conference tournament since 2004. This is Grove City's first tournament appearance since 2005.