Game 2 boxscore
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team's proverbial Jekyll-Hyde routine continued Sunday afternoon at Jack Critchfield Park.
The Rock pounded out 16 hits en route to a 20-2 win in the first game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division doubleheader, then managed only five hits and got blanked in Game 2.
Visiting Lock Haven scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning of the second game to salvage a split in the twinbill.
The split was The Rock's seventh in 11 doubleheaders this spring and gave SRU a 10-16-1 overall record and a 3-5 mark in PSAC-West action.
Lock Haven, which swept a twinbill from SRU last Friday and won the season series by a 3-1 margin, had a 7-15-1 overall record and a 3-5 mark vs. division competition at the conclusion of Sunday's action.
The Rock returns to action Friday, March 30, with a 1 p.m. home doubleheader vs. division tri-leader Clarion University (6-10, 5-3 PSAC-W).
SRU scored a run in every inning of Sunday's first game en route to its season-best run total.
The Green and White scored one run in the bottom of the first inning, two in the second and three in the third to take a 6-0 lead before Lock Haven scored twice in the top of the fourth to make it a 6-2 game.
The Rock then scored two, eight and four runs, respectively, in the fourth through sixth innings to set the final margin.
Matt Kosik smacked a grand slam home run as part of the fifth-inning outburst and finished the game with two hits in two at bats with five RBIs in a substitute role to lead The Rock offensive attack. His roundtripper was only the fourth hit by a Rock player this spring.
Carter Haponski was 2-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs,
Will Kengor was 2-for-3 and picked up three RBIs,
Brandon Myers (pictured) was 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs and
Graeme Zaparzynski was 3-for-5 with a double and one RBI to earn co-star roles in the win.
John Shaffer added a double and an RBI to the winning attack.
Lou Trivino was the beneficiary of the Game 1 offensive outburst, but also had a strong complete-game pitching effort, his third in six starts this spring. The sophomore right-hander held Lock Haven to only two hits, allowed one earned run, struck out nine and walked one in his route-going effort. He improved his season record to 4-2.
Freshman southpaw
Anton Constantino blanked Lock Haven for six and two-thirds innings in Game 2 but wound up with a no-decision. He scattered eight hits, struck out three and hit one batter.
Rock relief ace
John Kovalik was tagged with his second loss in the last three games and third in four decisions this spring after he allowed four earned runs on three hits, walked three and struck out one in the final one and one-third innings.
After being held to only two hits by Trivino in Game 1, the Bald Eagles collected 11 hits in Game 2.
Myers and
Matt Curtis each had two hits to account for virtually all of The Rock's Game 2 offense. One of Curtis' hits was a double.
PSAC-West standings – The Rock was tied for fifth place at the end of Sunday's action, which marked the conclusion of the second of seven weeks of PSAC-West competition.
California (14-12, 5-3), Clarion and Gannon (13-11, 5-3) were tied for the top spot, followed by defending conference champion Mercyhurst (17-7, 2-2). SRU was tied with Lock Haven for fifth place with Indiana (11-12-1, 1-3) in the division cellar.
