Boxscore

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- Junior catcher Matt Adams and senior right fielder Scott Bender each smacked a two-run home run Friday afternoon to lead the Slippery Rock University baseball team to an 11-6 season-opening win over Tiffin University at Veterans Administration Memorial Stadium.

Adams also slapped a double and plated a run with a ground out to finish the game with two hits in four at bats, three RBIs and two runs scored.

Bender was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Sophomore designated hitter Adam Jury was 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored; sophomore first baseman Derek Diruscia was 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI and junior left fielder Jacob Oswalt had a double to account for other Rock offensive highlights.

The Rock collected 14 hits in the game, six of which went for extra bases. Tiffin had 11 hits in the game, three of which were for extra bases.

Sophomore righthander Scott Dunn was the winning pitcher in relief of sophomore starter George Hebert.

Hebert yielded five runs (four earned) on seven hits, struck out three and walked two in the first four innings.

Dunn allowed one earned run on five hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter in the next four innings before sophomore Justin Thomas allowed one hit and struck out one in the final frame.

Tiffin took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning before The Rock erupted for three runs in the top of the second to take a 3-2 lead.

A Tiffin run in the bottom of the second tied the score at 3-3 before the Dragons scored twice in the third to take a 5-3 lead.

SRU responded with its second three-run rally of the game to retake the lead, 6-5, in the top of the fifth and never relinquished the lead.

A pair of Rock runs in the top of the sixth made it 8-5 and, after Tiffin scored one run in the bottom of the sixth, SRU added one run in the seventh and two in the eighth to set the final margin.

The Rock and Tiffin are scheduled to play the second game of their three-game weekend series at 2 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting, before closing out the weekend with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.