Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Freshman outfielder Matt Kosik clobbered three home runs Saturday to lead the Slippery Rock University baseball team to a split in its non-conference doubleheader vs. Lake Erie College of Ohio at Jack Critchfield Park.

Kosik smacked two solo roundtrippers in Game 1, but could not lead the Green and White to victory as the visiting Storm won a 6-5 decision in eight innings. He also had a single in the game.

Kosik belted a three-run home run in Game 2 and also had two singles to help propel SRU to a 14-4 victory.

The split gave The Rock a 29-13 overall record, while Lake Erie stood at 13-24.

The Rock and Lake Erie will close out their four-game weekend series with a 1 p.m. twinbill Sunday at "The Jack."

SRU also learned late Saturday that it was assured of a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament, which will be held May 4-7 at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster.

The Rock was assured of the conference playoff berth when Gannon outmuscled Indiana (Pa.), 20-18, in Game 1 of those teams' twinbill Saturday.

SRU is 12-8 in PSAC-Western Division action and can finish no lower than fourth in the division standings. The top four teams in the division earn berths in the conference tournament. More details will be forthcoming next week.

Kosik's circuit clouts, which improved his season total to five, accounted for half of The Rock's yard-going effort in Saturday's twinbill. Junior catcher-first baseman Matt Adams slammed two HRs (one in each game) to increase his team-high season total to 12, while junior second baseman Billy Messer clobbered his fourth roundtripper of the season in Game 2.

Kosik ended the day with six hits and five RBIs, while Adams finished the day with five hits and collected five RBIs. Messer had two hits and two RBIs.

In addition to his home runs, Adams had a double, which increased his team-high total in that category to 21, three shy of the school record he set in 2007. He is four HRs shy of The Rock's single-season mark (Brad Lowe, 16 in 1998).

As a team, The Rock collected 30 hits in Saturday's twinbill. Sophomore shortstop Adam Jury had four hits and senior third baseman Billy Herman and junior left fielder Jacob Oswalt each added three hits.

Oswalt collected three RBIs in the twinbill, two of which came in Game 2.

The Rock committed four errors in Game 1, which directly resulted in three of Lake Erie's runs being of the "unearned" variety. Those miscues ultimately cost The Rock the victory.

But the Green and White did not go down without a fight. SRU came back from 1-0 and 5-1 deficits to tie the score at 1-1 and 5-5 before the Storm prevailed.

Kosik's second HR of the game, a two-out blast in the bottom the seventh inning, sent the game into extra innings. His one-out roundtripper in the fourth had given the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Adams' solo homer in the fifth keyed a two-run Rock rally that trimmed Lake Erie's lead to 5-4 and set the stage for Kosik's game-tying blast in the seventh.

Junior right-hander Justin Thomas was tagged with the Game 1 loss after he allowed one earned run on one hit in one inning of relief work.

Rock starting pitcher George Hebert scattered eight hits and allowed five runs (two earned) while striking out 11 in the first seven innings left the game with the score tied at 5-5.

Lake Erie got two runs on three hits in the top of the first inning off Rock Game 2 starter Mark Tanner but generated little offense thereafter as he scattered six hits, allowed four runs (three earned), struck out 10 and walked two in six innings of work.

Fellow senior southpaw Sean Holliday allowed one hit, struck out one and walked one in the final inning.

A four-run Rock rally in the bottom of the first inning quickly erased Lake Erie's two-run lead and got the hosts rolling.

Adams doubled home the first two runs in the inning before Messer brought the final two home with his roundtripper.

SRU extended its lead to 9-2 with five tallies in the third inning, keyed by a leadoff home run by Adams and RBI singles by Oswalt and senior designated hitter Scott Bender.

The Rock answered a single Lake Erie run in the top of the fourth with a four-run outburst in the bottom fo the fifth to make it a 13-3 game before each team scored a run in the sixth inning.

Kosik's three-run HR and an RBI single by Adams plated The Rock's fourth-inning tallies before Oswalt singled home the final run in the sixth.

Upcoming schedule: The Rock, after it hosts Lake Erie on Sunday, turns right around to play a nine-inning single game Monday against Division I Youngstown State at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio.

YSU is coached by Rich Pasquale, who served as The Rock's assistant coach in 2007.

Following Monday's game, The Rock will entertain West Virginia Wesleyan in a 1 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday, then take on Clarion in the final PSAC-West series next weekend.

PSAC-West standings: Heading into the final weekend of division action, California (Pa.) and Mercyhurst are tied for the top spot with 15-5 division records, followed by The Rock at 12-8, Indiana 11-13, Lock Haven 9-11, Clarion 6-14 and Gannon 4-16.

California and Mercyhurst will meet head-on next Friday and Saturday, while The Rock takes on Clarion and Gannon meets Lock Haven.

The Rock can not finish higher than third place in the division standings unless either California or Mercyhurst sweeps all four games in that series.

The only way SRU could finish fourth in the division would be if the Green and White lost all four games vs. Clarion and Lock Haven won all four of its games vs. Gannon.

Lock Haven, which announced Friday that it was discontinuing its baseball program at the end of the current season, meanwhile, needs two wins next weekend to assure itself a berth in the conference tournament.

If Lock Haven loses three of its four games vs. Gannon, Indiana would finish fourth in the division and earn the final PSAC-West berth in the conference tournament.