Groshong dazzles with complete game shutout as L-S baseball snaps three-game skid
It started much as previous games had for Garrett Groshong. A few baserunners got aboard in the first inning on some infield hits and walks. Cedar Crest looked ripe to put a few runs on the board before L-S even got up to bat, but then Groshong fought back with a strikeout and a groundout, and retired the side, getting through the ever important first inning unscathed.
From there, he pitched to contact and totaled four more strikeouts during a complete game shutout that sprung the Pioneers to a 4-0 victory, a relief for an underperforming team that lost all three of its games last week.
Immediately after the game, Groshong said, "I was feeling it today."
Indeed he was.
With such an outing from Groshong, the bats did not need to do a whole lot of work, which was good for the Pioneers, who left eight runners on base and had two more caught stealing on the first move of Cedar Crest's massive lefty Brett Baweic, who measures 6'4" and 240 lbs.
Ostensibly, such a pitcher would be tough on lefties, but L-S leadoff hitter Caleb Danehower had no trouble at all setting the table with a first inning double and then a third inning single, off the latter of which he scored. Danehower exited the game thereafter, however, with an apparent finger injury.
The next man up for L-S was sophomore Luke "Bubba" Weigel, who picked up right where Danehower left off by reaching on an error and scoring in the fifth inning and notching an RBI single in the sixth.
L-S never scored more than one run in an inning, blowing some opportunities to knock the game wide open.
In the first inning, they had runners on second and third with no outs, but a pop up preceded a walk that set up a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning without a run.
In the second, Bear Shank walked to leadoff the inning, promptly stole second and third, and scored when Connor Brown, who reached on an error, intentionally got himself into a rundown. However, Brown was doubled up later in the inning when he failed to tag up on a routine pop up, retiring the side.
In the third, Rhoades launched an RBI single to center, but was picked off trying to steal second on the opposing lefty's first move.
Colin Eckman faced a similar situation in the fourth inning, wherein no runs scored either.
The team left the bases loaded in the fifth after two strikeouts, and left a man aboard in the sixth too.
Overall, though, this game was more about getting on track than running up the score.
Senior outfielder Ben Rhoades credited a change in mindset for the team's more relaxed approach.
"The key to the game was to joke around and have a lot of life so we don't come out flat," he says before answering an inquiry into how the victory feels with a confident, "it feels like we're going to get two more."
The Pioneers travel to Hempfield Wednesday before returning home Friday evening for a 7 PM gig against McCaskey.
View full gallery of game photos via Google Photos
View bonus gallery of photos from last Friday's loss at Warwick via Google Photos
--Benjamin Pontz, LSNews.org Editor-In-Chief; Photos by Lauren Mast, LSNews.org Director of Sports Photography
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| Garrett Groshong threw 7 innings (88 pitches - 58 strikes, 6 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 hit batsmen) in his complete game shutout, earning a winning decision |
Immediately after the game, Groshong said, "I was feeling it today."
Indeed he was.
With such an outing from Groshong, the bats did not need to do a whole lot of work, which was good for the Pioneers, who left eight runners on base and had two more caught stealing on the first move of Cedar Crest's massive lefty Brett Baweic, who measures 6'4" and 240 lbs.
Ostensibly, such a pitcher would be tough on lefties, but L-S leadoff hitter Caleb Danehower had no trouble at all setting the table with a first inning double and then a third inning single, off the latter of which he scored. Danehower exited the game thereafter, however, with an apparent finger injury.
The next man up for L-S was sophomore Luke "Bubba" Weigel, who picked up right where Danehower left off by reaching on an error and scoring in the fifth inning and notching an RBI single in the sixth.
L-S never scored more than one run in an inning, blowing some opportunities to knock the game wide open.
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| Connor Brown executed on the basepaths to allow the first run to score, but was caught later in the inning when he failed to tag up on a pop-up; he did throw a rocket from centerfield in the second inning to prevent Cedar Crest from plating a run |
In the second, Bear Shank walked to leadoff the inning, promptly stole second and third, and scored when Connor Brown, who reached on an error, intentionally got himself into a rundown. However, Brown was doubled up later in the inning when he failed to tag up on a routine pop up, retiring the side.
In the third, Rhoades launched an RBI single to center, but was picked off trying to steal second on the opposing lefty's first move.
Colin Eckman faced a similar situation in the fourth inning, wherein no runs scored either.
The team left the bases loaded in the fifth after two strikeouts, and left a man aboard in the sixth too.
Overall, though, this game was more about getting on track than running up the score.
 |
| Ben Rhoades credited a change in mindset for the team's victory |
Senior outfielder Ben Rhoades credited a change in mindset for the team's more relaxed approach.
"The key to the game was to joke around and have a lot of life so we don't come out flat," he says before answering an inquiry into how the victory feels with a confident, "it feels like we're going to get two more."
The Pioneers travel to Hempfield Wednesday before returning home Friday evening for a 7 PM gig against McCaskey.
View full gallery of game photos via Google Photos
View bonus gallery of photos from last Friday's loss at Warwick via Google Photos
--Benjamin Pontz, LSNews.org Editor-In-Chief; Photos by Lauren Mast, LSNews.org Director of Sports Photography
