Boxscore
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – Senior right fielder
Scott Bender smacked a grand slam home run and collected six RBIs Sunday afternoon to lead the Slippery Rock University baseball team to a 16-3 win over Tiffin University.
The win, which came less than 24 hours after SRU dropped a 26-9 decision to the Dragons, gave The Rock a 2-1 mark in the season-opening three-game series vs. Tiffin.
Bender's grand slam keyed a seven-run Rock outburst in the bottom of the sixth inning Sunday. Two innings earlier, he slapped a two-run single that plated the first two runs in another seven-run Rock rally.
Junior second baseman
Billy Messer stroked an RBI double and sophomore designated hitter
Adam Jury, sophomore first baseman
Derek Diruscia and senior shortstop
Kyle Smith each added a run-scoring single to account for the other highlights in The Rock's fourth inning.
Senior shortstop
Rich Michalek had a two-run single and junior catcher
Matt Adams earned a bass-loaded walk before Bender blasted his grand slam high over the 368-foot sign in left-center field in the bottom of the sixth..
One inning later, Adams hit a towering shot the other way, well over the 345-foot sign in right-center.
The home runs were the second hit by both Adams and Bender in three games this spring. They each smacked a two-run shot in SRU's 11-6 season-opening win Friday.
All The Rock runs came after Tiffin had take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, helped along with two hit batsman and a base on balls from Rock starting and winning pitcher
Don Pugliese.
Pugliese, a senior right-hander, allowed two earned runs on two hits, struck out four and walked one in five innings of work to pick up his first win of the season.
Sophomore righty
Justin Thomas took over for Pugliese in the sixth inning and yielded one earned run on six hits, struck out one and walked one in two and two-thirds innings.
Sophomore southpaw
Brett Vescovi struck out two in the final one and one-third innings to close out the game.
Adams finished the game with three RBIs and two hits, while Michalek had two hits and two RBIs. Jury and senior third baseman
Billy Herman each had three hits.
The Rock's next game will be Saturday, Feb. 28, when it will take on Mansfield in a 6 p.m. game in Boca Raton, Fla.
That will be the first of 11 games the Green and White will play in the span of eight games on its annual spring-break trip to the Sunshine State.
