AUBURNDALE, FLA. -- The Bates baseball team jumped out to a 4-0 lead but Grove City College scored six runs in the sixth inning to defeat the Bobcats 9-5 Saturday morning at the RussMatt Invitational. 

The Bobcats (1-1) scored four runs in the top of the second. Junior Henry Jamieson (St. Simons Island, Ga.) doubled to lead off the frame. Then senior Antonio Jareno (Marietta, Ga.) singled him home for the first run of the contest. Senior Bryan Gotti (Westwood, Mass.) followed with a single to left and sophomore Jack Brennan (West Harford, Conn.) bunted the runners over. Junior John Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) followed with a sacrifice fly and Bates led 2-0. Junior Drew Fallon (Mansfield, Mass.) drew a walk to put runners at the corners with two outs. An error allowed Gotti to score and junior Tyler Attal (Los Angeles) singled in Fallon to put Bates up 4-0.

First-year Micah Sheats (Niwot, Colo.) got the start for Bates and tossed three shutout innings before allowing a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth, trimming the Bates lead to 4-2.

With two on and two out in the fifth, sophomore Luke Linnehan (Hingham, Mass.) entered the game and got the final out of the inning. 

But Grove City (3-1) got to Linnehan (0-1) for six runs in the sixth inning, with the big hit a three-run triple by C.J. Saylor. 

Now down 8-4, the Bobcats got one back in the eighth when sophomore Noah Jankowski (Methuen, Mass.) smacked a solo home run. But Grove City answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth and Bates didn't score again.

Evan Umland (2-0) settled down after his rough second inning and shut down the Bobcats for the rest of his outing. Umland went seven innings to earn the win.

Jareno went 2-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI to pace the Bobcats.

Bates is back in action Sunday morning when the Bobcats take on Carthage College at 10am.