Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore

INDIANA, Pa. – Senior shortstop Adam Jury delivered a convincing verdict Friday afternoon to lead the Slippery Rock University baseball team to a doubleheader sweep in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division action against Indiana U, of Pa.

Jury smacked a double and two home runs in four at bats, collected five RBIs and scored three runs to singlehandedly match the hosts' run total in The Rock's 9-5 second-game win.

Freshman catcher Kevin Jovanovich's pinch-hit, two-run double in the top of the sixth inning gave SRU a 5-4 win in the first game.

With the wins, which improved the Green and White's season records to 21-11 overall and 10-4 in division competition, The Rock remained atop the PSAC-West standings. SRU began the day with a one and one-half game lead over second-place Mercyhurst College.

The Rock and Crimson Hawks (14-20, 6-8 PSAC-W) are scheduled to close out their four-game weekend and season series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at Jack Critchfield Park in Slippery Rock.

Trailing by a 4-1 margin, The Rock scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning to win Friday's first game. Jovanovich's double was the key hit in the rally and accounted for the eventual tying and winning runs. Earlier in the inning, senior first baseman Derek DiRuscia and sophomore third baseman Jamison Walck each had an RBI single.

With his team leading by a 5-4 score, Rock head coach Jeff Messer turned things over to freshman relief specialist Ryan Oglesby, who promptly slammed the door on any hopes by the hosts of a late-inning comeback.

Oglesby retired the side in order in both the sixth and seventh innings to record his fifth save of the season, the most by a Rock pitcher since Dan Herisko had five in 2005.

Rock starting and winning pitcher Zach Jeney allowed four earned runs on five hits, struck out nine and walked four in the first five frames and improved his season record to 5-1.

Oglesby struck out three of the six batters to face him in the final two innings and induced the other three hitters into hitting pop outs.

Senior center fielder Matt Howard was 3-for-3 and junior second baseman Lee Foxton 2-for-3 to pace an 11-hit Rock attack. Jovanovich finished the game with two RBIs and DiRuscia and Walck one each.

The Rock manufactured the first run of the game from an Indiana fielding error, back-to-back singles by Foxton and Howard and a ground out by DiRuscia.

SRU had opportunities in both the third and fourth innings to extend its lead, but failed to take advantage of scoring chances. The Rock had a runner on third base with one out in the third and Howard led off the fourth with a triple, but both runners were left stranded.

Indiana, after turning its third double play in the first four innings to strand Howard at third, scored three runs on two hits in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.

That set the stage for The Rock's game-winning rally in the top of the sixth.

The Rock opened the second game in similar fashion to the first game as they scored two runs in the top of the first inning. The key hit in the rally was an RBI single by Jury.

Indiana came right back to cut the margin in half with a run in the bottom of the first, then scored two runs in the second to take a 3-2 lead and chase Rock starting pitcher Lou Trivino.

The Crimson Hawks' lead lasted less than a half inning, though, as Jury smacked a solo home run with one out in the top of the third to tie the count at 3-3.

An RBI double by junior left fielder Carter Haponski and an RBI single by Foxton in the top of the fourth pushed SRU to a 5-3 advantage, but Indiana came right back with a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 5-4 game.

Indiana loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth via a walk, a single and a Rock fielding error but could only manage to score one run in the inning. The tally scored on a one-out ground out before a gunned-down runner on a stolen base attempt ended the threat.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth, freshman right-hander John Kovalik relieved senior southpaw Jason Steen, who had spelled Trivino.

The Rock offense promptly rewarded Kovalik for his door-slamming effort the previous half inning.

Junior right fielder Derek Carr legged out a one-out bunt single and Howard was intentionally walked to bring Jury to the plate.The strategy proved fatal, though, as Jury responded with a three-run home run to left field that gave SRU an 8-5 lead.

Indiana got a one-out walk in the bottom of the sixth, but the potential rally was quickly snuffed out by a 6-4-3 double play.

SRU then loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh on back-to-back singles by junior Matt Kosik and Jovanovich and a hit batsman. Carr cashed in on the opportunity with a sacrifice fly to push The Rock lead to 9-5 heading into the final half inning of play.

Indiana again got a one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh but, as was the case the previous inning, saw its rally quickly snuffed out by a double play, this one for the final two outs of the game.

Kovalik picked up his first win of the season and his first decision after striking out one and walking two in the final three innings. Steen allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and walked one in two and two-thirds innings after Trivino had yielded three earned runs on four hits, struck out three and walked four in the first one and one-third innings.