March 31, 2007

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

California, Pa. - The Rock split a Saturday doubleheader at California U. of Pa. and is tied for third place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division race after one weekend of divisional play.

SRU pounded out 12 hits en route to a 5-3 win in Saturday's first game, then dropped a 4-0 decision in the second game and now owns a 14-8 overall record and a 2-2 PSAC-West mark.

Shippensburg (11-11, 3-1) and Indiana U. of Pa. (10-16, 3-1) are tied for the division lead, followed by The Rock and California (12-9, 2-2). Clarion (6-12, 1-3) and Lock Haven (5-13, 1-3) are tied for fifth place.

SRU will take on Lock Haven next Friday and Saturday in the second set of division games, while Shippensburg plays Indiana and California challenges Clarion.

Prior to meeting LHU, The Rock will travel to Gannon for a 1 p.m. non-conference doubleheader Tuesday.

The combination of clutch hitting and a solid pitching effort by Rock starting and winning pitcher Mark Tanner (3-0) were the recipe for success in Saturday's first game.

A two-run single by Phil Butch and a sacrifice fly by Kyle Smith in the top of the fourth inning staked Tanner to a 3-0 lead before a sacrifice fly by Travis Trimbur in the fifth frame accounted for what proved to be the winning run.

California cut The Rock lead to one run, 4-3, with three tallies in the bottom of the fifth but that would be the only scoring rally of the game for the Vulcans.

An RBI single by Trimbur in the top of the seventh provided Tanner and The Rock with an insurance tally.

Tanner scattered eight hits and allowed three runs (two earned) while striking out four in his first complete-game pitching effort of the season.

M.J. Parsons was 3-for-4 to lead The Rock offfensive attack, while Butch had two hits and picked up two RBIs, Trimbur finished with two RBIs and Dan Hudeck and Rich Michalek collected two hits each.

The Rock managed six hits in Game 2, but was unable to make good on a solid pitching effort by Chris Squeglia (1-3).

Squeglia took a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning. Unfortunately, a pair of errors -- one by Squeglia himself -- on a fifth-inning bunt attempt by California put him and The Rock behind by a 1-0 margin.

California ruined Squeglia's gem when it collected four hits in the bottom of the sixth inning and added three insurance runs to its tally.

Squeglia -- whose younger brother, Jon, was the losing pitcher in Game 1 for California -- finished the game with four runs allowed (three earned) on four hits to go along with four strikeouts and four walks.

Matt Adams collected half of The Rock's hits in Game 2 as he was a perfect 3-for-3. Butch, Jim Eimiller and Billy Messer added a single each for SRU.