WASHINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - The 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Tournament began Wednesday with three games in the six-team double-elimination tournament, which featured wins by Washington & Jefferson College in a walk-off in Game A, Grove City College with an outstanding pitching performance in Game B and Allegheny College battled through to advance out of Game C.

For the first time this season, the conference tournament will be a six-team, double-elimination championship. It will be held Wednesday-Saturday, May 8-11 at Ross Memorial Park in Washington, Pa. The PAC Sports Network (PACSN) will deliver live broadcasts of all of this year's tournament games at pacstream.net.

With their victories, W&J moved on to play in Game E at 2:30 pm on Thursday against Waynesburg, while Grove City will play in Game F Thursday at 6 pm against the Allegheny. With the defeat, Thiel will play again in Game D Thursday morning at 11 am versus Westminster.

Game A
No. 1 Washington & Jefferson 6, No. 6 Thiel 5
Thiel rallied from a 5-3 deficit with single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to tie the game, but W&J junior Drew Garth (Glenshaw, Pa./North Hills) stroked an RBI walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Presidents a 6-5 victory in Game A Wednesday.

The game was scoreless through three innings. Thiel struck first with a pair of runs in the fourth, but the Presidents answered with two runs in the last of the fourth. The teams exchanged runs again, as W&J plated one in the fifth while the Tomcats answered with a solo run in the sixth to even the game at 3-3.

The Presidents went in front with two runs in the seventh, the first coming on an RBI single by junior Jacob LaDuca (Clarence, N.Y./Canisius), who later scored on a passed ball. Thiel would come back again, getting one run in the eighth on a RBI single by Aidan Ochs (Rostraver Township, Pa./Belle Veron) and then tying the score in the top of the ninth with an RBI single by junior Nathan Prunty (Elyria, Ohio/Keystone). But that just set the stage for Garth's heroics in the bottom of the ninth scored sophomore pinch runner Eli Kite (McKeesport, Pa./Serra Catholic), who entered after freshman pinch hitter Brian Feldman (Gibsonia, Pa./Eden Christian Academy) was hit by a pitch to start the inning. 

Garth's winning hit was his second of the game and he also finished with two RBIs in the win, while LaDuca was 2-for-4 with an RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Junior Scout Zaas (Powell, Ohio/Wellington School) also had a pair of hits and scored once. The pitching win went to senior Ethan Boring (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley), who threw two innings and allowed one run on three hits.

For Thiel, Prunty and senior Nick Jacobs (New Castle, Pa./Union) both had three hits, while Ochs had two hits and knocked in a pair of runs. Senior Alec Katon (Ashtabula, Ohio/Edgewood) started on the hill for the Tomcats and battled through eight innings.   

Game B
No. 2 Grove City 4, No. 5 Westminster 0
Grove City senior Nick Guidas (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and junior Evan Umland (Pasadena, Calif./La Canada) combined to throw a three-hit shutout and the second-seeded Wolverines' used a three-run outburst in the seventh inning to pull away for a 4-0 victory over the fifth-seeded Westminster College in Game B Wednesday afternoon.

Guidas and Westminster starter Kolton Banfi (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) matched zeroes for the first four innings before the Wolverines pushed a run across in the fifth inning. Junior Luke Vittone (Seven Fields, Pa./Eden Christian) singled to start the inning, moved to third on a double by junior Sam DiStefano (Fairview, Pa./Fairview) and scored on a two-out throwing error for a 1-0 Wolverines lead.

That run would have been enough for Guidas, who didn't allow a hit after the third inning. As he continued to stymie the Westminster bats, Grove City padded their lead with three more runs in the seventh. A string of five consecutive two-out hits, including RBI singles by freshman Caison Holland (Freedom, Pa. Ambridge), junior Josh Minnich (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and senior Markus Williams (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian) extended the Wolverines' lead to 4-0.

The Grove City pitching closed the victory out quickly, as Guidas retired the Titans in order on four pitches in the eighth inning and Umland came on for the ninth and also set down Westminster 1-2-3, including two strikeouts. Guidas threw eight innings and allowed the three hits while striking out eight and Umland's two Ks gave the Wolverines 10 punchouts in the win.

Grove City also pounded out 13 hits in the win, led by DiStefano's 3-for-4 performance. Holland, Minnich and Williams all had two hits apiece. For Westminster, Banfi threw 6 2/3 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on 12 hits.

Game C
No. 4 Allegheny 4, No. 3 Waynesburg 2
Allegheny broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of runs in the eighth inning and held on for a 4-2 victory over Waynesburg in Game C to complete Wednesday's PAC Baseball Tournament schedule.

The two starters, Waynesburg sophomore Dalton Lucey (Waynesburg, Pa./West Greene) and Allegheny junior Mark Schweickert (Richmond, Va./John Randolph Tucker) locked in a scoreless duel through the game's first five innings. Then in the sixth, both offenses came alive. The Gators opened the scoring with a two-spot in the top of the sixth, with junior Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif. Manvel (Texas)) hit an RBI fielder's choice and then he scored on an RBI double by junior Brady Nolin (Cumberland, Maine/Greely).

Those runs were quickly answered by the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the sixth when senior Marcos Mendez (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Westminster (Md.)) slammed a two-run, ground-rule double to chase home the tying runs and it was a 2-2 game going to the seventh.

That score remained until the eight inning when Allegheny took the lead for good. Bryant-Dawson struck again with a run-scoring double and he scored his second run of the game later in the inning on a bases-loaded walk by senior Jonathan Sharp (Chardon, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin).

That lead would stand, as the Gator pitching staff slammed the door. Schweickert threw 7 1/3 innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits with three strikeouts. When Waynesburg got a man on with one out in the eight, Allegheny went to junior Walker Cunningham (Cambridge Springs, Pa./Cambridge Springs), who induced a double play to close out the eighth and then set down the Jackets in order in the ninth to nail down the win and the save.

For the Gators with the bats, Nolin had a pair of doubles in the win, while junior Matt Jennings (Birmingham, Mich./Brother Rice) had two hits and scored twice and Bryant-Dawson had a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. 

Lucey went 7 1/3 innings as well on the hill, allowing four runs on seven hits with six Ks and two walks. The Jackets were held to five hits, with two coming off the bat of Mendez.

2024 PAC Baseball Championship Tournament
All Games at Ross Memorial Park - Washington, Pa.

Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Game A - No. 1 Washington & Jefferson 6, No. 6 Thiel 5
Game B - No. 2 Grove City 4, No. 5 Westminster 0
Game C - No. 4 Allegheny 4, No. 3 Waynesburg 2

Thursday, May 9, 2024
Game D - Thiel (15-23) vs Westminster (18-21) - 11 am (Thiel will be home team)
Game E - Washington & Jefferson (29-12) vs Waynesburg (23-18) - 2:30 pm (Waynesburg will be home team)
Game F - Grove City (25-12) vs Allegheny (27-12) - 6 pm (Allegheny will be home team)

Friday, May 10, 2024
Game G (see below) - 11 am
Game H (see below) - 2:30 pm
Game I (see below) - 6 pm

Saturday, May 11, 2024
Games J - TBD
Game K - If necessary - 30 min after

Sunday, May 12, 2024
Rain Date

If 4 teams remain after Game F:
Game G - Winner of Game D vs Loser of Game F
Game H - Winner of Game E vs Winner of Game F
Game I - Winner of Game G vs Loser of Game H
Game J - Winner of Game H vs Winner of Game I
Game K - If Necessary

If 5 teams remain after Game F
Game G - Loser of Game E vs Loser of Game F
Game H - Winner of Game D vs Winner of Game E
Game I - Winner of Game F vs Winner of Game G

If 2 teams remain after Game I
Game J - Winner of Game H vs Winner of Game I
Game K - If Necessary

If 3 teams remain after Game I:
Game J - Winner of Game H vs Loser of Game I
Game K - Winner of Game I vs Winner of Game J