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| Grove City College junior pitcher Tate Ostrowski threw the second perfect game in 2021. Grove City athletics photo |
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Grove City College junior pitcher Tate Ostrowski (Essex, Mass./Covenant Christian) fired a perfect game Friday afternoon for the Grove City College baseball team, helping lead the Wolverines to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Bethany in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Jack Behringer Field. Ostrowski retired all 21 Bethany batters in the opener as Grove City won 8-0. The Wolverines then rallied for a 5-2 win in Game Two.
Ostrowski struck out 10 men over his seven innings on the mound. He struck out Bethany catcher Ryan Anselmino to end the game after falling behind in the count 3-1. It is the first perfect game in modern Grove City baseball history, which dates to 1959. It is the first no-hitter for a Grove City pitcher since March 7, 2019, when current senior Lake Pry (West Sunbury, Pa./Moniteau) no-hit Penn State New Kensington in Lake Myrtle, Fla.
Grove City (17-7, 15-4 PAC) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when junior third baseman Matt Lew (Redmond, Wash./Bellevue Christian) singled home senior DH Tanner Orner (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley). The lead grew to 2-0 in the third inning as senior first baseman Bubba Hamilton (Garner, N.C./Waynesboro, Pa.) belted a run-scoring double that drove in sophomore catcher C.J. Saylor (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield).
Senior second baseman Bobby Abbott (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) doubled the lead in the fifth inning when his two-run single brought home Hamilton and Saylor.
Grove City then sealed the win with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Saylor walked with the bases loaded, bringing home sophomore center Aaron Jenks (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) with Grove City's fifth run. Hamilton singled in senior left fielder Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian) while Abbott followed by driving in sophomore right fielder Anthony Tambellini (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour). Orner closed the scoring by driving in Saylor with a single through the left side.
Ostrowski improved to 6-1 on the season. He leads the conference with 54 strikeouts.
In the nightcap, sophomore pitcher Elijah White (Zelienople, Pa./Portersville Christian) pitched eight innings of shutout relief to earn the win. White (3-0) permitted one hit and two walks while striking out five in the longest outing of his career.
Bethany led 2-0 after the top of the first inning. Grove City halved the lead in the fifth inning when Clary scored on a wild pitch. The Wolverines then surged ahead with a four-run seven inning. Tambellini's bloop single to right field scored Jenks with the tying run.
Clary scored the go-ahead run when Abbott beat out a potential double play. Orner pushed the lead to 5-2 when his two-run single to left brought home Abbott and Tambellini.
Abbott also doubled for Grove City while Jenks, Orner and Tambellini all had two hits. Grove City outhit Bethany, 10-3.
Sophomore Calvin Burns (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic) started and pitched the first inning for Grove City.
Grove City will visit Bethany for a doubleheader Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The first game will be a nine-inning conference game, followed by a seven-inning non-conference game.