Grove City wins 9th straight to advance to winner's bracket final

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Junior pitchers David Leslie (Butler, Pa./Butler) and Evan Umland (Pasadena, Calif./La Canada) combined on a three-hit shutout Thursday night as the Grove City College baseball team earned a 6-0 win over Allegheny in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament at Ross Memorial Park. 

Leslie (2-0) struck out 10 men and allowed two hits in seven innings. He matched a season high in strikeouts while allowing only three total baserunners. Umland entered after a 46-minute rain delay and pitched two shutout innings to close out the victory.

Offensively, Grove City pounded out 14 hits, led by a 4-for-5 outing from senior first baseman Markus Williams (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian). Sophomore center fielder Nick Sampson (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) went 3 for 4 while freshman DH Caison Holland (Freedom, Pa./Ambridge) doubled twice. 

Junior right fielder Josh Minnich (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and freshman third baseman Sam Bevin (Louisville, Ky./Wake County) both went 2 for 5 in Thursday's win.

The Wolverines grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first as Holland doubled and scored on a two-out single from Williams. Grove City then added a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning as Minnich, Williams and Sampson opened the inning with consecutive singles. Minnich scored on a groundout by junior shortstop Luke Vittone (Seven Fields, Pa./Eden Christian) while Williams scored on a single by senior second baseman Lucca Baccari (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford). 

Grove City doubled its lead with three more runs in the fifth inning. After a Bevin single and a Holland double, Minnich cracked a two-run single to left field. Minnich later scored when Baccari hit into a force play. 

Leslie allowed a one-out single in the first inning, then retired 16 consecutive batters. Eight of his 10 strikeouts came in that span. 

The Wolverines will face top-seeded Washington & Jefferson at 3 p.m. Friday in the winner's bracket final. Grove City has won nine straight games overall. W&J defeated Waynesburg University, 10-3, Thursday to advance in the tournament.