Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore

MANSFIELD, Pa. -- The Slippery Rock University baseball team saw its overall season record drop to 13-13 Tuesday when it dropped both games of aPennsylvania State Athletic Conference interdivisional doubleheader vs. hosting Mansfield University.

The Mountaineers won by scores of 5-1 and 14-8 to improve their season record to 12-8.

SRU, which had won seven of its previous eight games prior to Tuesday, will look to regain its winning ways this weekend when it takes on Indiana (Pa.) in a four-game PSAC-Western Division series.

The series opens with a 3 p.m. doubleheader Friday at Jack Critchfield Park in Slippery Rock and concludes with a 1 p.m twinbill Saturday at Owen Dougherty Field in Indiana.

The Rock had only five hits in Tuesday's first game, did not receive a single base on balls and manufactured its only run from a hit batsman, an errant pickoff attempt, a ground out and a wild pitch in the top of the third inning.

The lone highlight for The Rock offense was junior left fielder Carter Haponski, who had two hits.

Junior right-hander Mike Ritson (1-1) was SRU's starting and losing pitcher in Game 1. He allowed four earned runs on three hits, struck out four and walked five in the first three and one-third innings.

Senior righty Justin Thomas then allowed one earned run on two hits and walked one in two-thirds of an inning before junior southpaw Zach Jeney gave up one hit and walked one in the final two innings.

Mansfield took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning of Game 1 and, after SRU tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the third, scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to record the win.

In Game 2, Mansfield again took the early lead, this time with a single run in the bottom of the first inning.

SRU then took its only lead of the day with three runs in the top of the third, keyed by a two-run single by junior shortstop Adam Jury and an RBI single by senior second baseman Billy Messer.

The Rock remained in the lead until the bottom of the fourth when the proverbial bottom dropped out. Mansfield scored 11 runs on seven hits, two bases on balls, two Rock errors, a wild pitch and a passed ball.

Down by a 12-3 score, The Rock trimmed the deficit by one run through the combination of a one-out double by Messer, a single by freshman third baseman Jamison Walck and an RBI single by sophomore right fielder Matt Kosik.

Mansfield got its final two runs on two hits and one Rock error in the bottom of the sixth.

SRU's final at-bat in the top of the seventh produced four runs on three hits and one Mansfield error. Junior center fielder Matt Howard had a two-run double for the key hit in the inning while junior infielder Brandon Frohnapple got an RBI when he was hit by a pitch.

Howard and Messer each had three hits, including a double apiece, to lead a 13-hit Rock offensive attack, while Jury and sophomore catcher John Murray each added two hits.

Sophomore southpaw Jason Steen (0-2) was The Rock's starting and losing pitcher in Game 2. He allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits, walked two and hit two batters in three innings of work.

Junior southpaw John Thomas yielded eight runs (seven earned) on four hits, struck out one, walked one and hit one batter in one-third of an inning before sophomore righty Cory Johnson finished up. Johnson allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and struck out one in two and two-thirds innings.