WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Freshman center fielder Nico Rodriguez (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) belted a two-run, two-out home run in the top of the ninth inning Thursday evening to help lift the Grove City College baseball team to an 8-7 victory over No. 2 seed Saint Vincent in the opening round of the 2022 Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, held at Washington & Jefferson College's Ross Memorial Park.

Third-seeded Grove City (28-12) will now face top-seeded W&J at 12 p.m. Friday in the winner's bracket final. W&J outlasted Westminster in Thursday's opener in 11 innings, 10-9.

Saint Vincent scored twice in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 7-6 lead. In the top of the ninth, senior first baseman Bubba Hamilton (Garner, N.C./Waynesboro, Pa.) singled with one out. Following a fly out, Rodriguez belted his two-run homer to left center, giving Grove City the lead. Junior pinch runner Aaron Jenks (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) scored ahead of Rodriguez on the blast.

Hamilton also launched a solo homer in the seventh inning and added a double as part of a 4-for-5 outing. Junior right fielder Anthony Tambellini (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) went 3 for 3 with a walk while Rodriguez finished 3 for 5. 

Freshman third baseman Mally Kilbane (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) gave Grove City a 2-0 lead in the first inning when he launched a two-run homer. The Wolverines added to the lead later in the opening inning as Rodriguez and senior left fielder Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian) both laced run-scoring singles. 

Grove City led 4-3 in the sixth inning when Tambellini singled with two outs, advanced on a single by freshman second baseman Luke Vittone (Seven Fields, Pa./Eden Christian) and then came home when sophomore DH Markus Williams (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian) cracked a single.

Vittone finished with a pair of hits. Grove City pounded out 16 hits. 

Freshman pitcher Shane Cato (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) earned the win in relief after pitching 1 1/3 innings. He allowed one run. Freshman pitcher Evan Umland (Pasadena, Calif./La Canada) recorded the final two outs for his Grove CIty-record sixth save of the season.

Senior Tate Ostrowski (Essex, Mass./Covenant Christian) started and pitched 6 1/3 innings. He allowed two earned runs and four hits. Sophomore Nate Hamel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) recorded the final two outs of the seventh in relief. He yielded a run.

Grove City tied its single-season program record with its 28th win. The Wolverines also won 28 games in 2019 and 2021. 

The Wolverines will be the home team against W&J in Friday's winner's bracket final. W&J won the season series, 2-1. The Presidents won the two meetings in Washington April 20, 3-2 and 5-3. Grove City earned a 7-6, 10-inning home win over W&J eight days ago.