New/Sortable Box Score
Traditional boxscore

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The final curtain rang down on the 2013 Slippery Rock University baseball season Thursday afternoon as The Rock lost a 9-3 decision to Gannon University in elimination-game action of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament at Point Stadium.

The loss, coupled with a 5-0 loss earlier in the day against Millersville, gave SRU a 31-21 final record for the season and its second two-and-out effort in the last three double-elimination conference tournaments.

With the win, Gannon (24-18) advanced to a 12:30 p.m. game Friday vs. the loser of the East Stroudsburg-Millersville game played Thursday night.

Junior shortstop Will Kengor had three hits, including a double, in five at bats and scored two runs to lead a nine-hit Rock offensive effort Thursday afternoon.

Kengor, the leading NCAA Division II hitter in the nation as of last Monday, finished the season with a .449 average that ranks as the fourth-best in Rock baseball history.

Junior catcher Kevin Jovanovich added two hits in three at bats, including an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning, and sophomore Jake Nogalo smacked his first home run of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth, to round out The Rock's offensive highlights in Thursday afternoon's game.

Sophomore right-hander Garret Peterson was SRU's starting and losing pitcher. Peterson, who saw his season record fall to 3-2, allowed five runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits, struck out two and walked one in the first four and two-thirds innings.

Redshirt freshman right-hander Jon Anderson replaced Peterson and allowed two earned runs on four hits and walked one in one and one-third innings. Junior righty Mike Dunn allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits in one and one-third innings before junior righty John Kovalik closed out the game by scattering three hits in the final one and two-thirds innings.

Gannon collected a total of 16 hits in the game, seven of which went for extra bases. The big blast for the Golden Knights was a three-run home run by winning pitcher Aaron Cox in the top of the fifth inning that gave Gannon a 6-1 lead.

Cox struck out six, walked one and allowed three earned runs in a nine-inning, complete-game pitching effort that improved his season record to 7-1.

Gannon scored two runs in the top of the first inning to take a lead it would not relinquish before SRU scored its first run in the bottom half of that inning.

Kengor led off The Rock first with a double down the left-field line and eventually scored on a ground out by senior first baseman John Shaffer.

Gannon came right back with two runs in the top of the second and added three in the top of the fifth to take the aforementioned 6-1 lead before The Rock scored its second run on Jovanovich's RBI double.

Kengor got The Rock's fifth-inning rally started with a one-out single, moved to second on a ground out by junior right fielder Graeme Zaparzynski and advanced to third on a single by Shaffer before trotting home on Jovanovich's single to center field.

Gannon added single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to hold a 9-2 lead when Nogalo smacked his home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth and conclude the scoring.

Notes:

Thursday afternoon's game marked the final Rock appearance for three seniors: Shaffer, left fielder Austin Benshadle and second baseman Matt Curtis … The Rock made their conference-best eighth consecutive appearance in the conference tournament, 20th in the last 24 seasons and 23rd in Jeff Messer's 28 seasons as head coach.