Rockets’ rally falls short
SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock appeared to have another come-from-behind victory in the works.
After rallying from a 7-0 deficit to defeat Sharon three days earlier, the Rockets fell behind Grove City 7-1 in the third inning of their baseball game Saturday at Critchfield Park. The Rockets wound up with the tying runs on base and Bryce Covert at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Covert hit a screeching line drive that first baseman Kamden Martin jumped up and snared, enabling the Golden Eagles to hang on for a 12-10 victory on a blustery day.
“If Kam doesn’t make that catch, that ball goes into the corner, it’s a tie game and we’re hoping for extra innings,” Grove City coach Brandon Jones said. “We told our guys once we got that big lead early to not let up, that Slippery Rock was gonna play hard right down to the last out.”
“We do have a resilient bunch,” Slippery Rock coach Tyler Friel said.
Just not enough on this wild day.
In a game that lasted nearly three hours, the teams combined for 22 runs, 22 hits, eight errors, 11 walks and seven hit batsmen. Many of the errors occurred on balls hit high into the sky and being pushed around by a swirling wind.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to be one of those fielders trying to catch those pop flies today,” Friel said. “On a day like this, hit the ball in the air and anything can happen.”
Grove City (4-1, 3-0) had three batters hit by pitches in the first inning, helping to set up a three-run double by Bode Stevenson. The Golden Eagles scored five runs in the top of the first. Three Slippery Rock errors in the top of the third handed Grove City two more runs and a 7-1 lead.
But the Rockets chipped away.
An RBI single by Ryan Double, run-scoring double by Isaac McCandless and two-run triple by Austan Runtas pulled Slippery Rock (4-2, 3-1) within 7-5 in the bottom of the third.
Martin’s two-run double in the fourth — highlighting a three-run frame for Grove City — was answered by Double’s two-run double in the bottom of the inning.
“We kept answering,” Friel said. “We battled all day. We just have to find a way to start better.”
During that two-run fourth inning, however, the Rockets had the bases loaded with one out and could not tack on. They left the bases loaded again in the sixth and stranded 12 runners on the day.
“Those were big,” Jones said. “We got out of trouble there by getting some big strikeouts.”
“With the wind out there, all you want to do is put the ball in play,” Friel said. “We didn’t give ourselves a chance to make something happen there. Those were missed opportunities.”
Still, the Rockets entered the bottom of the seventh trailing, 12-9. Dom Zandi reached on an error, Double grounded into a force play, Jacob Kunsman and McCandless both singled to load the bases. Runtas grounded into a force play, scoring Double and leaving runners on the corners for Covert.
“So close,” Friel said of the game-ending lineout. “Our guys don’t quit and that’s a nice quality to have. We just have to clean some things up.”
Grove City 502 320 0 — 12 10 4
Slippery Rock 104 211 1 — 10 12 4
WP: Ben Fischer 3IP (2k, 1bb). LP: Austan Runtas 3IP (2k, 1bb).
Grove City: (4-1, 3-0): Ethan Adams 1B 3-R, Paul Gubba 2-1B 2-RBI, Nolan Renick 1B RBI, Kamden Martin 2B 1B 2-RBI 2-R, Joey Hathaway RBI 2-R, Bode Stevenson 2-2B 3-RBI, Max Knause 2-1B.
Slippery Rock (4-2, 3-1): Sal Mineo 1B 3-R, Dom Zandi 2-1B RBI, Ryan Double 2B 1B 3-RBI, Jacob Kunsman 2-1B 2-R, Isaac McCandless 2-2B 1B RBI, Austan Runtas 3B 3-RBI, Bruce Covert 3B, Nolan Darr RBI, Doug Popovec 3B.
Monday: Titusville at Slippery Rock
