Rock falls by 8-5 score to Kutztown in PSAC Championships

Billy Herman was 4-for-5 with four RBIs and Rich Michalek was 3-for-4 with three runs scored to lead The Rock offensive attack

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Senior co-captains Billy Herman and Rich Michalek put up big offensive numbers Wednesday for the Slippery Rock University baseball team, but could not lead The Rock to victory in first-round action of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Baseball Championships.

Herman was 4-for-5, including a double and solo home runs, and collected four RBIs, while Michalek was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored in SRU's 8-5 loss to Kutztown University (33-14) at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The loss snapped a modest three-game win streak for SRU, dropped the Green and White's season record to 36-15 and may well have rung down the curtain on The Rock's 2009 season.

The Rock is scheduled play either Mansfield or Mercyhurst in a 9:30 a.m. elimination game Thursday, but that game will only be played if the final three games on Wednesday's schedule are completed.

Rain showers, which resulted in severe alterations to the tournament schedule Monday and Tuesday, are expected to return to the Lancaster area late Wednesday afternoon.

Because the tournament must be completed by Friday, if the showers come Wednesday afternoon, only the four first-round winners would continue to compete for the championship and subsequent automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional tournament.

Herman and Michalek paced a 12-hit Rock offensive attack Wednesday, but the star of the game was Kutztown pitcher Darin Gorski, who struck out 15 batters and scattered 10 hits in six and two-thirds innings.

The Rock had Gorski (8-1) on the proverbial ropes several times during his time on the mound, but failed to take full advantage of the opportunities.

A leadoff double to right-center field by Michalek, followed by an RBI single by Herman to the same area of the ballpark, gave SRU an early 1-0 lead. Junior catcher Matt Adams was then hit by a pitch and both he and Herman moved up one base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore shortstop Adam Jury. Gorski quickly slammed the door, though, with back-to-back strikeouts.

Kutztown tied the score at 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the first inning and took a 2-1 lead with a tally in the second frame before The Rock went back on the attack, only to be denied.

Michalek led off The Rock third inning with a bunt single and moved around to third when Gorski, after fielding the bunt, threw the ball past his first baseman. But Gorski gathered himself and struck out three of the next four Rock hitters to leave the potential tying run stranded at third base.

Two innings later, The Rock tied the score at 2-2 as Michalek smacked a double off the right field wall and scored on Herman's RBI single up the gut.

Adams followed with a single up the middle before junior second baseman Billy Messer lined a long single into the right field corner to load the bases with only one out. Gorski recorded back-to-back strikeouts to escape that jam as well.

Kutztown then poured the proverbial salt into the wound when it scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-2 lead and chase Rock starting and losing pitcher Scott Dunn (7-3).

The Rock got one run in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to stay within striking distance but ultimately paid the price for its wasted scoring opportunities in the first five frames.

Herman slapped an RBI double to straightaway center to score Michalek, who had earned a two-out walk, to account for SRU's sixth-inning run.

Senior shortstop Kyle Smith stroked a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning and Herman clobbered a one-out home run in the eight to account for the final two Rock innings.

Kutztown scored its final run in the bottom of the sixth inning and held an 8-3 lead before SRU scored the final two runs of the game.

Dunn allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits and walked one in four and one-third innings of work.

Sophomore southpaw Brett Vescovi yielded one earned run on one hit, struck out one and walked two in one and two-thirds innings before junior right-hander George Hebert allowed one hit and struck out two in the final two innings.

The Rock got four earned runs on 10 hits and received three bases on balls from Gorski, then scored one run on two hits off Golden Bears reliever Trent Mertz.

Print Friendly Version