Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- The Slippery Rock University baseball team rode complete-game pitching efforts by junior right-hander George Hebert (above left) and freshman southpaw Joby Lapkowicz (above right) and a 27-hit offensive attack to a 15-0, 6-0 doubleheader sweep of Clarion University in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division action Friday afternoon at Jack Critchfield Park.

With the wins, The Rock snapped a string of five straight losses and improved its season record to 8-10 and its PSAC-West mark to 2-4.

The losses were the sixth and seventh straight suffered by Clarion, which saw its overall record fall to 1-7 and its PSAC-West mark drop to 0-2. Friday's games marked the second and third straight games in which the Golden Eagles failed to score a run.

The Rock and Golden Eagles will close out their four-game season series with a 1 p.m. Saturday at Jack Critchfield Park.

Friday's twinbill was originally scheduled to be played in Clarion but was moved to Slippery Rock because the Golden Eagle's home field was in unplayable condition. Clarion served as the home team for Friday's action.

A pair of solo home runs to left field, one each by junior first baseman Nick Caito (second inning) and sophomore right fielder Matt Kosik (fourth inning), jump-started The Rock offense in Friday's first game.

Sandwiched around an RBI single to right field by junior catcher Derek DiRuscia in the third inning, the roundtrippers gave SRU a 3-0 lead after four innings.

The Rock then blew the game wide open with 11 runs on nine hits in the top of the sixth inning, a frame in which the Green and White sent 16 batters to the plate.

Key hits in The Rock uprising were a two-run hits by back-to-back players, a single by senior designated hitter Jacob Oswalt followed by a two-run home run by junior center fielder Matt Howard.

Freshman third baseman Jamison Walck was the leading hitter in the game with three hits in five at bats and he collected four RBIs. Oswalt picked up three RBIs, while Howard and Kosik each had two RBIs.

The Rock finished the game with 16 hits including three doubles (one each by DirRuscia, Kosik and senior second baseman Billy Messer) and the three circuit clouts.

While his teammates feasted on offerings from four Clarion pitchers, Hebert held Golden Eagles hitters to five hits, highlighted by a Dane Dobson double.

Hebert struck out five and did not walk a batter in his seven-inning stint on the mound to improve his season record to 3-1. The route-going effort was his second in four starts this spring.

The Rock carried over his hot hitting to Friday's second game as it collected 11 hits, including two doubles by DiRuscia, who finished the game with three RBIs. Sophomore left fielder Carter Haponski had three hits and one RBI.

The Rock got the only run it would ultimately need in the top of the first inning when Howard slapped a leadoff single, stole second base, went to third on a wild throw on the steal and trotted home on DiRuscia's first double of the game. DiRuscia scored what proved to be an insurance run on an RBI single by Walck.

DiRuscia's second double plated two runs in the second inning to push the lead to 4-0 before Haponski singled home a run in the fourth and Messer slapped an RBI single in the seventh.

Lapkowicz limited Clarion to only three hits en route to evening his season record at 1-1. He struck out eight and walked three in the process of recording both his first collegiate complete-game effort and shutout.

Offensively, DiRuscia, Haponski and Walck each finished the day with four hits in eight at bats, while Howard and Messer each added three hits and Caito, Jury and Oswalt two hits apiece.

Walck had five RBIs in the twinbill, DiRuscia four, Oswalt three and Kosik and Messer two each.

Friday's games opened a six-game homestand for The Rock, who after hosting Clarion Saturday, will entertain Washington Adventists in a non-conference doubleheader Monday (1 p.m. first pitch).