Boxscore: California 9, The Rock 2
Boxscore: The Rock 7, California 5

WASHINGTON, Pa. – After scoring only three runs in the first 13 innings of a Saturday afternoon doubleheader, the Slippery Rock University baseball team erupted for five runs in the top of the seventh inning of the second game to record a 7-5 win and salvage a split in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division action vs. hosting California (Pa.).

Senior shortstop Adam Jury, who had four hits in the twinbill, slapped a two-run single back up the middle with one out to account for the winning margin and cap a three-RBI game for himself.

The win snapped a string of six straight Rock losses to the defending conference-champion Vulcans, who won all five meetings a year ago and have reigned in 12 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams.

California (11-6, 1-1 PSAC-W) spotted The Rock (8-8, 1-1 PSAC-W) a 1-0 lead in Saturday's first game before scoring nine unanswered runs en route to a 9-2 victory.

The Rock and Vulcans will close out their four-game regular-season series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Sunday at Jack Critchfield Park in Slippery Rock.

Freshman second baseman Lee Foxton (pictured) joined Jury as the only Rock players to have two or more hits in Saturday's second game and had an RBI single in the decisive seventh-inning rally.

Junior right fielder Derek Carr also singled home a run as part of the rally and scored the tying run when California was unable to cleanly handle a ground ball hit by senior center fielder Matt Howard.

Jury singled home a run in the top of the first inning to give SRU a quick 1-0 lead in Saturday's second game before California scored four times in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.

SRU manufactured a run in the top of the fifth inning from a single by junior first baseman Nick Caito, a walk, a wild pitch and a fielding error on a ground ball by Foxton to trim the deficit to 4-2.

California then scored a tally in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-2 lead and set the stage for The Rock's game-winning rally in the top of the seventh.

Junior southpaw Zach Jeney pitched the first six innings for The Rock and was the beneficiary of the final-inning outburst to even his season record at 1-1. A native of California, Pa., Jeney allowed five runs (two earned) on eight hits, struck out three and walked two.

Freshman right-hander Ryan Oglesby pitched the final inning to record his second save of the season. Last week's PSAC-West “Pitcher of the Week” after picking up two wins in relief, Oglesby allowed one hit and struck out one in his abbreviated stint Saturday.

The Rock finished the game with nine hits, including a pinch-hit double by senior Mitchell Monas that was the only extra-base hit of the game, but more importantly jump-started the decisive seventh-inning rally.

In Saturday's first game, sophomore third baseman Jamison Walck joined Jury as the only Rock hitters with two or more hits and had the Green and White's only extra-base hit.

Walck slapped a single to right center in the top of the third inning to allow Jury, who had led off the inning with a single, to score the first run of the game.

Walck then scorched a double down the left-field line to set up The Rock's second and final run of the game. His two-bagger pushed Jury, who had singled, around to third base, from where he scored on a ground out by freshman catcher Matt Accardi.

Howard had a leadoff single in the top of the fourth to account for the only other safety in a five-hit Rock first-game attack.

Senior right-hander George Hebert (1-2) was tagged with the Game 1 loss after he allowed five earned runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked three in the first four innings.

Senior southpaw Rich Hocanson yielded four runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out three in the final two innings.

Notes:

Sunday's twinbill vs. California marks the home debut for The Rock, who are scheduled to play their next eight games and 12 of their next 14 games at Critchfield Park … The Rock own a 108-54 (.670) record in the seven and a half year history of the on-campus facility … Howard (18) and Jury (13) are The Rock's leading RBI men. Carr is in third place with seven.