GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel College baseball team won its second straight Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game Friday by taking a nine-inning decision from visiting Grove City, 9-2.
With the win the Tomcats moved to 13-6 in the PAC and 20-15 overall while the Wolverines fell to 3-12 in conference action and 4-17 on the year.
After a scoreless first inning, the Tomcats grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. With no outs on the board, senior designated hitter Jarod Nanna singled, sophomore Trent Mosley was hit by a pitch and junior Nick Schiavoni singled to left field to load the bases. Freshman first baseman Trent Smith did what he needed to, lifting a 1-1 pitch to left field to score Nanna from third on a sacrifice fly.
The Tomcats struck again in the bottom of the fourth with three more runs to make the score 4-0. Nanna led off the inning by taking the second pitch of his at-bat deep to left field for his team-best fifth home run of the season. Mosley followed up with a single to left center, and Schiavoni equaled that effort with a single to right center. A sacrifice fly by Smith and a RBI-single by Dan Koller rounded out the scoring in the fourth for Thiel.
Already up four, Thiel added to its lead in the bottom of the fifth when a Grove City error with two-outs and a runner on second kept the inning alive. Smith made the Wolverines pay by finding the gap in left center for a RBI-double, his third RBI of the game.
Grove City showed some life in the top of the sixth with an RBI-single to make the score 5-1, and then again in the top of the eighth when three Tomcat errors allowed for a run to score on no hits, trimming Thiel's lead to 5-2.
Thiel extended its lead in the bottom half of the eighth, scoring four runs on four hits and two Grove City errors to take a commanding 9-2 lead. Senior center fielder Doug Farley's two-run single up the middle keyed the scoring for the Tomcats.
The Tomcats had a very productive day at the plate, out-hitting the Wolverines 17-8. Nanna led the charge by going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and an RBI. Farley added a three-hit day with a run scored and two RBIs. Eric King, Schiavoni, Smith, Cody Trinch and Dan Koller each picked up two hits, with Smith notching three RBIs and Trinch scoring two runs.
Senior Nick Rossmiller improved to 7-3 on the season by tossing eight solid innings. He gave up two runs, only one of which was earned, on seven hits and one walk. Freshman Riley Schwertz worked the final inning and didn't allow a run. The first-year righty gave up just one hit and struck out two.
Thiel will look to keep on winning in the PAC on Saturday, when the Tomcats travel to Grove City to face the Wolverines. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.