MUNHALL, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team capped the 2024 regular season Saturday by sweeping a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Chatham. The Wolverines earned an 8-1 win in Game One at West Field, then completed the sweep with a 4-2 triumph in the nightcap. The wins clinch the No. 2 seed for Grove City (24-12, 15-5 PAC) in next week's conference tournament. The sweep also extends Grove City's win streak to a season-best seven games.
Senior pitcher
Nick Guidas (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine Richland) and junior reliever
Evan Umland (Pasadena, Calif./La Canada) combined on a five-hitter in the opener for Grove City. Guidas (5-3) allowed three hits in six shutout innings. He fanned six men. Umland earned his second save of the season by allowing two hits and a run in three innings.
Grove City broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when sophomore center fielder
Nick Sampson (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) doubled in junior shortstop
Luke Vittone (Seven Fields, Pa./Eden Christian) and later came home on a single by senior second baseman
Lucca Baccari (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford).
Senior first baseman
Markus Williams (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian) extended the lead to 3-0 one inning later by singling in freshman left fielder
Caison Holland (Freedom, Pa./Ambridge). In the sixth inning, junior right fielder
Josh Minnich (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) drove in Baccari and freshman third baseman
Sam Bevin (Louisville, Ky./Wake County) with a two-run single.
Grove City sealed the win with a three-run seventh inning. Vittone scored on an error while junior catcher
Sam DiStefano (Fairview, Pa./Fairview) squeezed home sophomore DH
Kenny Lavrich (Franklin, Pa./Cranberry). Bevin's sacrifice fly plated Baccari.
Vittone went 3 for 5 with a double to help pace Grove City's 12-hit attack. Lavrich also doubled while Holland finished 2 for 3. Baccari and Williams also had a pair of hits.
The Wolverines grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning in Game Two. Lavrich and Williams both had sacrifice flies while Vittone singled in Holland. In the ninth inning, sophomore left fielder
Trey Wagner (Mars, Pa./Mars) scored on a double play.
Bevin, Vittone and Wagner all doubled and singled in Game Two. Junior catcher
Aaron Gault (Youngstown, Ohio/Heartland Christian) also doubled.
Bevin earned the pitching victory by allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings. Bevin (7-2) allowed six hits. Junior
David Leslie (Butler, Pa./Butler) recorded his first save of the season by pitching 2 2/3 innings of relief. He struck out four batters and yielded one run.
Grove City will begin play in the six-team conference tournament Wednesday against No. 5 Westminster. Washington & Jefferson is the predetermined host of this year's four-day, double-elimination tournament. W&J (16-4) is the top seed and will play No. 6 Thiel (10-10) in Wednesday's first round. Waynesburg (15-5 PAC) and Allegheny (14-6) are the respective third and fourth seeds. Grove City's sweep eliminated Chatham (18-21, 9-11 PAC) from tournament contention.
The tournament game schedule will be announced by the conference office Sunday evening.
