Litman flirts with no-hitter as W&J earns 1-0 shutout win over Grove City in PAC Tournament

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WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Henry Litman (Marietta, Ga./Walton) allowed just two hits and tossed eight scoreless innings to lead top-seeded Washington & Jefferson to a 1-0 shutout victory over second-seeded Grove City College Friday afternoon in Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament action at Ross Memorial Park. 

The win advances the No. 2 ranked Presidents (35-1 overall) into the PAC Championship round on Saturday. The Presidents will face fourth-seeded Saint Vincent in Game F with first pitch at 1 p.m. W&J must win once on Saturday to capture their 13th PAC title. Saint Vincent must win Game F and an if necessary Game G to win its first PAC championship.

W&J scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Tyler Horvat (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) reached on a two-base throwing error by Grove City pitcher Tate Ostrowski to open the frame. For the second consecutive day, Adam Moore (Olean, N.Y./Archbishop Walsh) delivered a RBI single to stake W&J to an early 1-0 lead. 

From that point forward, Litman and Ostrowski were locked in a pitchers' duel, as neither team could put much of an offensive threat together. 

A one-out single by Bubba Hamilton broke up Litman's no-hitter in the seventh inning. Trailing by a single run in the top of the eighth inning, Grove City threatened to even the score. Tanner Orner led off with a single and advanced into scoring position with one out. However, Litman retired the next two Wolverines to end the inning. 

Michael Zito (Nashville, Tenn./Hume-Fogg) retired the side in the ninth inning to lock down the win for W&J. The save was Zito's PAC-leading seventh of the season. 

Logan Scheider (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) and Moore collected two hits apiece to lead the W&J offense. 

Litman struck out five and walked one and limited Grove City to two hits over a stellar eight innings. Litman improved his record to 9-0.