WASHINGTON, Pa. -- A pair of late rallies came up just short Wednesday afternoon for the Grove City College baseball team as the Wolverines dropped a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Washington & Jefferson (16-0 PAC). W&J won the opener, 3-2, then held off the Wolverines for a 5-3 win in Game Two at Ross Memorial Park.

In the nightcap, Grove City loaded the bases with no outs as sophomore shortstop Lucca Baccari (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) singled, senior left fielder Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian) walked and freshman catcher Sam DiStefano (Fairview, Pa./Fairview) reached on a hit batsman. 

However, a strikeout and double play ended the comeback effort.

Grove City trailed 5-2 in the seventh inning but trimmed the lead to 5-3 when Clary scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman center fielder Luke Vittone (Seven Fields, Pa./Eden Christian). 

The Wolverines took an early 2-0 lead by scoring once in each of the first two innings. In the first, freshman third baseman Mally Kilbane (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) singled in Vittone. One inning later, senior first baseman Bubba Hamilton (Garner, N.C./Waynesboro, Pa.) scored on a passed ball.

Baccari went 2 for 4 while Hamilton and sophomore second baseman Markus Williams (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian) both doubled. 

Freshman pitcher Shane Cato (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) made his first start of the season and pitched into the sixth inning. He allowed four runs in five innings, taking the setback. Senior Robby Randolph (Cranberry Township, Pa./North Catholic) pitched three innings of relief and yielded one run.

In the opener, senior pitcher D.J. Newby (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) fired a complete game for Grove City in his first start of 2022. Newby struck out four, walked one and allowed only six hits in six innings. 

Grove City trailed 3-0 after four innings but whittled the lead to 3-2 with runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Vittone doubled home senior right fielder Colton Lineman (Apex, N.C./Northwood) to open the scoring. Hamilton drove in Kilbane with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

Vittone doubled twice for Grove City (18-10, 9-6 PAC). 

Grove City will host Bethany at 4 p.m. Friday in a single conference game at Slippery Rock University. The teams will then play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. at Bethany.