GREENVILLE, Pa. -- The Grove City College softball rallied in the late innings of both games Tuesday afternoon in the Wolverines' Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Thiel. However, the hosts held off Grove City for a pair of one-run wins, 7-6 and 3-2.
Grove City trailed 4-0 in the opener before charging ahead with three runs in the fifth inning and three more runs in the sixth. Senior catcher
Lauren Harris (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) cut the lead in half by belting a two-run double that scored junior first baseman
Brooke Brodie (Mogadore, Ohio/Mogadore) and junior second baseman
Maci Linhart (Columbiana, Ohio/Columbiana).
Freshman pitcher
Abigail Meadors (Warren, Ohio/Champion) drove in the third run of the fifth inning when her groundout scored freshman left fielder
Evelyn Montone (Allentown, Pa./Parkland).
Grove City then surged ahead in the sixth inning. Junior right fielder
Annika Rinehart (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) tied the game with a groundout that plated sophomore shortstop
Rylie Eaton (Grove City, Pa./Grove City). Brodie gave Grove City its first lead, 5-4, when she singled in sophomore center fielder
Noel Anthony (Clarion, Pa./Clarion).
Brodie then scored on Linhart's double to center field.
Thiel countered with its own three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, however.
Montone and Eaton both doubled for Grove City. Brodie, Harris, Linhart and Montone all went 2 for 4 as the Wolverines accumulated a dozen hits in Game One.
Meadors pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief, striking out seven batters. She yielded three runs and took the setback. Freshman
Alexis Jackson (Copley, Ohio/Copley) started in the circle and pitched 1 2/3 innings.
Grove City trailed 3-0 after six innings in Game Two but Harris singled in Anthony and then scored on a Brodie double. However, the Wolverines stranded Brodie in scoring position in the top of the seventh inning.
Anthony also doubled for Grove City while Linhart finished 2 for 4. Brodie threw a complete game, allowing one earned run and five hits in six innings. She struck out five and did not walk a batter, but took the defeat.
Grove City (11-11, 3-5 PAC) will visit Westminster for a conference doubleheader Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
