GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team earned a 5-4 victory Tuesday afternoon over visiting Westminster in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Jack Behringer Field. The victory brings Grove City (15-7, 6-3 PAC) to within a game of Westminster (12-6, 7-2 PAC) at the one-third mark of the 27-game loop schedule.

Grove City broke a 1-1 tie by scoring four times in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sophomore third baseman Markus Williams (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian) led off with a bunt single and then advanced to second when freshman DH Mally Kilbane (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) walked. 

With the Westminster defense expecting a bunt, freshman center fielder Nico Rodriguez (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) hammered a double to left field, scoring Williams. Kilbane and Rodriguez then scored on a two-run single from sophomore shortstop Lucca Baccari (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford).

The lead grew to 5-1 later in the inning when senior right fielder Colton Lineman (Apex, N.C./Northwood) singled home senior left fielder Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian).

Westminster pulled to within 5-4 in the seventh inning but sophomore reliever Nate Hamel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) and freshman Evan Umland (Pasadena, Calif./La Canada) closed out the win by combining for the final eight outs. 

Hamel pitched 1 1/3 innings and struck out one. Umland earned his fifth save of the season by striking out three of the four men that he faced. Umland preserved the win for senior starting pitcher Tate Ostrowski (Essex, Mass./Covenant Christian), who allowed three earned runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. Ostrowski (4-1) fanned five men.

Senior first baseman Bubba Hamilton (Garner, N.C./Waynesboro, Pa.) went 2 for 4. He gave Grove City a 1-0 lead in the second inning when he singled in Rodriguez. 

Grove City will visit Franciscan in conference action Friday at 4 p.m. The Wolverines will then host Franciscan at 1 p.m. Saturday in a doubleheader at Jack Behringer Field.