GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team improved to 9-3 overall Wednesday afternoon by earning a 5-1 victory over visiting La Roche in non-conference action at Jack Behringer Field. It is Grove City's sixth straight overall victory and the Wolverines' second home win in as many outings.

Senior pitcher Tate Ostrowski (Essex, Mass./Covenant Christian) threw 7 1/3 shutout innings to earn his fourth win of the season. He struck out 10 men, walked one and allowed only two hits. Sophomore Nick Guidas (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning and freshman Evan Umland (Pasadena, Calif./La Canada) struck out the side in the ninth.

Junior catcher C.J. Saylor (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) paced Grove City's 12-hit attack by going 3 for 4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Senior left fielder Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian), freshman center fielder Nico Rodriguez (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) and sophomore shortstop Lucca Baccari (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) all went 2 for 4.

Grove City broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning when Saylor doubled and scored on a Rodriguez single. The Wolverines then broke open the game with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Freshman DH Mally Kilbane (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) singled in Clary and Saylor to give Grove City a 3-0 lead.

Junior right fielder Anthony Tambellini (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) pushed the lead to 4-0 when he singled in senior first baseman Bubba Hamilton (Garner, N.C./Waynesboro, Pa.). Sophomore third baseman Markus Williams (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian) then scored on a throwing error.

At 9-3, Grove City is off to its best start since the 2016 team also won 9 of its first 12 games. 

Grove City will visit Mount Aloysius at 3 p.m. Monday in non-conference play.