Game 1 boxscore
Game 2 boxscore

ERIE, Pa. – Junior left-hander Zach Jeney (right photo) pitched a two-hit, complete-game shutout and senior left fielder Carter Haponski was 6-for-8 with two extra-bnase hits and three RBIs Saturday afternoon, but the duo could not carry the Slippery Rock University baseball team to a doubleheader sweep against hosting Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division rival Gannon University.

Jeney's pitching gem came in The Rock 3-0 first-game win at Gannon University Field. Haponski was 3-for-4 with a double and one run scored in that game.

Haponski continued to swing a hot stick in the second game, when he went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs, But The Rock came up one run short in that game, as Gannon scored a run in the bottom of the seventh and final inning to win a 4-3 decision and give the teams a split in the twinbill.

The split gave The Rock a 17-11 overall record and a 6-4 mark in PSAC-West competition. The latter mark is good for second place in the seven-team division standings, one-half game behind Mercyhurst (21-7, 7-4 PSAC-W), which swept a twinbill Saturday from Indiana (Pa.).

Gannon stood 12-16 overall and 7-7 in division action after Saturday's games.

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

Jeney struck out 13 batters and walked three and his teammates played error-free defense behind him in his route-going pitching effort in Saturday's first game to improve his season record to 4-1.

Travis Lipp's one-out single in the bottom of the fourth inning and Lou Downey's one-out single in the sixth were the only hits allowed by Jeney.

Back-to-back one-out singles by Haponski and junior second baseman Lee Foxton and a run-scoring ground out by senior center fielder Matt Howard in the top of the third inning gave Jeney the only run support he would ultimately need.

The Rock added an insurance run in the fourth and plated the final run in the seventh. Both of those tallies were of the unearned variety.

Senior first baseman Derek DiRuscia got a walk to lead off The Rock fourth, moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore third baseman Jamison Walck and scored on a throwing error on what would have been the third out of the inning.

Foxton got a two-out walk, moved around to third on a ground-rule double by Howard and scored the final run of the game on a fielding error on a ground ball by senior shortstop Adam Jury.

Haponski with three hits and Foxton with two were the only Rock batters to have more than one hit as The Rock collected only six safeties in the game.

Haponski's one-out single in the top of the third inning of the nip-and-tuck second game plated freshman catcher Kevin Jovanovich with the first run of the game.

Jovanovich had led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman first baseman Kevin Welsh and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Haponski singled him home.

The Rock's 1-0 lead lasted less than one-half inning, though, as Gannon collected four hits in the top of the third against Rock starting pitcher Lou Trivino and scored two runs to take a 2-1 advantage.

Haponski's RBI single in the top of the fifth allowed Welsh, who had been hit by a pitch and moved around to third on an errant pickoff attempt, to score and tie the game at 2-2.

Gannon again came right back and regained the lead at 3-2 with a run in the bottom of the fifth.

Senior right fielder Mitchell Monas singled and scored on Haponski's triple to right-center field in the top of the seventh to retie the score at 3-3.

Gannon then manufactured the winning run from a leadoff double by Lipp, a sacrifice bunt by Kolten Hoffman and game-winning sacrifice fly by Michael Tomko.

Senior southpaw Jason Steen (1-3) was tagged with the loss after he allowed two earned runs on four hits and struck out one in three and one-third innings of relief work.

Trivino allowed two earned runs on five hits, struck out four and walked four in the first three-plus innings. Freshman right-hander Ryan Oglesby relieved Steen with one out in the bottom of the seventh and yielded the game-ending sacrifice fly ball.

Haponski's three hits paced a seven-hit Rock attack in the second game. He was the only Rock player with more than one hit.

The PSAC-West standings at the conclusion of Saturday's action were as follows (overall records in parentheses):

1. Mercyhurst (21-7) 7-4
2. SLIPPERY ROCK (17-11) 6-4
3. Gannon (12-18) 7-7
4. Lock Haven (16-13) 6-6
5. California (16-12) 6-7
6. Indiana (12-18) 4-6
7. Clarion (5-18) 3-5

Sunday's schedule
Gannon at Slippery Rock, 1 p.m. DH
Mercyhurst at Indiana, 1 p.m. DH
California at Clarion, 1 p.m.