Game 2 boxscore

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Senior center fielder Derek Carr was 4-for-4 with three runs scored Sunday afternoon to lead the Slippery Rock University baseball team to an 11-3 win over hosting Shippensburg University in the second game of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference interdivisional doubleheader.

The win ended a five-game losing skid for SRU, which had dropped a 3-2 decision in the first game of Sunday's twinbill, and gave the Green and White a 3-5 record as they prepare for their annual spring-break trip to Florida.

Shippensburg, coached by former SRU pitcher Matt Jones, won three of four games against SRU during the weekend and owned a 6-4 record at the end of Sunday's action.

The Rock, after collecting a total of 39 hits in their first seven games this spring, erupted for a season-high 12 safeties and also made the most of five Shippensburg errors in Sunday's second game.

Carr, who finished the day with six hits in eight at-bats, was one of four Rock players who had two or more hits in Game 2. Senior captain Carter Haponski was 3-for-4 with one RBI, while classmate Lee Foxton and junior Ben Bechtol had two hits each.

Carr, Foxton (2 runs scored) and Haponski each had a double included in their tallies. Bechtol and junior John Shaffer each collected a pair of RBIs in the game.

Carr also had two hits in Sunday's first game, as did sophomore Brandon Myers, when SRU managed six hits. Bechtol picked up the only Rock RBI in Game 1 and finished the day with three RBIs.

The Rock scored three runs in the top of the first inning of Game 2 and added seven more tallies in the second inning and an additional run in the third to take an 11-0 lead before Shippensburg got on the scoreboard.

Shaffer singled home two runs in the first-inning rally. Bechtol slapped a two-run single, Foxton doubled home a run and  Haponski added an RBI single to key the second-inning outburst. The final Rock run scored on a double-play groundout.

Starting pitcher Nic McCowin, a junior right-hander, picked up the win after he held Shippensburg to one earned run on four hits in the first five innings. He struck out two, walked three and hit four batters during his time on the mound.

Freshman righty Kyle Schneider allowed two earned runs on three hits and hit one batter in an inning of relief work before sophomore righty Anthony Naso walked one in a scoreless, hitless final inning.

Sunday's second game featured eight hit batsmen.

Freshman righty Garret Peterson was tagged with the Game 1 loss after he allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits, struck out one and walked one in the final three innings.

Game 2 starting pitcher Geoff Sanner, also a freshman right-hander, yielded one earned run on one hit, struck out one and walked one in the first three innings.

The Rock scored two runs in the top of the second inning, keyed by an RBI single by Bechtol, but were unable to generate any more offense against three Shippensburg pitchers.

With the SRU offense stifled, Shippensburg chipped away at the 2-0 deficit with single runs in the third and fourth innings before scoring the eventual game-winning run in the sixth.

Three Rock fielding errors aided in the Red Raiders' comeback effort.

The Rock are idle for 10 days before taking on unbeaten (5-0) Seton Hill University in a 5 p.m. game March 8 at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fla. That will open The Rock's 10-game spring-break schedule.

SRU is scheduled to open its home schedule March 18 with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against PSAC-Western Division rival Gannon University at Jack Critchfield Park.