Game 1 boxscore

Game 2 boxscore

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Junior southpaw Mark Tanner pitched a three-hit, complete-game shutout in Game 2 of Thursday's non-conference doubleheader to lead The Rock to a split vs. Seton Hill.

The Rock (22-20 overall) came oh-so-close to recording a sweep as it narrowed a 10-1 deficit to only one run before running out of steam and dropping a 10-9 decision in Game 1.

Tanner, who due to some elbow problems had only pitched five innings and had a 32.40 ERA prior to Thursday, struck out eight and walked four in SRU's 2-0 Game 2 win. In the process of recording his first win against two losses, Tanner trimmed his ERA to 13.50.

More importantly, Tanner helped SRU snap a five-game losing streak and gain some momentum heading into this weekend's key Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division four-game series  vs. Clarion.

The Rock enters the weekend as the No. 4 team in the PSAC-West standings and needs to move up at least one spot to earn a berth in the conference playoffs (April 30-May 3 in Lancaster).

The series vs. Clarion is scheduled to start with a 4 p.m. twinbill Friday at Jack Critchfield Park and conclude with a 1 p.m. twinbill Saturday in Clarion.

The games vs. Clarion are the final four games of The Rock's 2008 regular-season schedule.

Thursday's final tuneup for the crucial series did not start off well for SRU as Seton Hill scored two runs in the top of the first inning, added one run in the second and added seven runs on seven hits in the top of the third to take a 10-1 advantage.

The Rock came right back, though, to score five runs on five hits in the bottom of the third to trim the margin to 10-6 and added three more runs in the fifth to make it a 10-9 game.

Unfortunately for the Green and White, that's where the comeback effort ended as Seton Hill reliever Brian Warheit blanked the hosts in the final two frames.

A two-out RBI double in the bottom of the third by Jim Eimiller plated the first Rock run.

Key hits in The Rock's third-inning rally were a two-run double by Billy Messer, RBI doubles by Matt Adams and #M.J. Parsons#, a run-scoring single by Jacob Oswalt. 

Billy Messer singled home one of The Rock's fifth-inning tallies, Scott Bender brought home a run with a sacrifice fly and a balk pushed across the other run.

In the end, though, 10 Seton Hill runs (nine earned) on nine hits off Rock starting and losing pitcher Jim Hughes (0-1) proved to be too large of a hole from which to climb. Hughes also struck out two and walked two in three innings of work.

Andrew Peterson slammed the door on Seton Hill in the final four frames as he held the Griffins scoreless on only one hit, struck out four and walked one in his first collegiate appearance.

The Rock had 10 of its 13 Game 1 hits after Seton Hill had jumped out to the 10-1 lead. Billy Messer, one of five Rock players with two hits in the game, collected three RBIs to lead the attack.

An RBI double off the third-base bag and into short left field by Matt Messer in the bottom of the fourth inning provided Tanner with the only run of support he would need in Game 2. Scott Hugney followed Messer's hit with a sacrifice fly to push across what proved to be an insurance run.

The Rock outhit Seton Hill by a 5-3 margin in the Game 2 pitching duel between Tanner and Seton Hill's D.J. Cannon. Matt Messer, who had two doubles in three at bats, was the only Rock player to have more than one hit in the game.