GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College baseball team earned a 5-3 non-conference victory Thursday afternoon over visiting Allegheny in the 2022 home opener at Jack Behringer Field. The victory is the 600th NCAA coaching victory for Grove City head coach Matt Royer.
Grove City (8-3) broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning by scoring a pair of runs. Junior right fielder Anthony Tambellini (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) led off with a bunt single, moved to second on a sacrifice by freshman second baseman Luke Vittone (Seven Fields, Pa./Eden Christian) and later scored the go-ahead run on a single by freshman DH Mally Kilbane (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls).
Senior first baseman Bubba Hamilton (Garner, N.C./Waynesboro, Pa.) extended the lead to 5-3 by driving in senior left fielder Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian) with a sacrifice fly.
The Wolverines trailed 1-0 in the sixth inning but took their first lead of the game with a three-run rally. Clary scored on a groundout by junior catcher C.J. Saylor (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and Kilbane then crossed home on a single by freshman center fielder Nico Rodriguez (Stafford, Va./Mountain View). Sophomore third baseman Markus Williams (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian) drove in Hamilton with a sacrifice fly.
Clary also tripled for Grove City and Kilbane doubled.
Sophomore pitcher Nick Guidas (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) earned the win in relief as he struck out four men during his two innings. Freshman Evan Umland (Pasadena, Calif./La Canada) pitched two hitless innings to earn his fourth save. Umland also struck out four.
Senior Tate Ostrowski (Essex, Mass./Covenant Christian) started and allowed one run in five innings. Ostrowski fanned three and permitted four hits.
Royer is in his seventh season as Grove City head coach. He led Grove City to a single-season program record 28 wins in 2019 and guided the Wolverines to a 28-win season last year. He has compiled a 130-89 record at Grove City. Royer also coached at Wheaton (Ill.), Kutztown and Liberty. He has additionally been a head coach at the scholastic and junior college levels.
Grove City will visit La Roche next Wednesday in non-conference action at 4 p.m.