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AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team concluded its annual spring-break trip to the Sunshine State with a signature win Wednesday as the NCAA Division II Rock handed Division I Dartmouth College its first loss of the season, 7-3, at Lake Myrtle Park.
Dartmouth, a member of the prestigious Ivy League, began the day with a school-record-tying eight consecutive wins to its credit and was the last unbeaten Division I team in the nation.
The Big Green were among the teams that received votes in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division I national poll.
But The Rock, who were ranked in two Division II national polls, were undaunted.
SRU scored seven runs in the first three innings en route to its fourth consecutive win, fifth in seven games on the spring trip and 13th in 17 games played this spring.
Wednesday's win was SRU's first over a Division I rival since March 25, 2001, when The Rock beat Bucknell University in Lewisburg.
Six players had a pair of hits each as part of a 14-hit Rock attack. Included in that group were junior shortstop
Will Kengor and senior first baseman
John Shaffer, who each smacked a double.
Kengor, who has a team-best .455 batting average, collected two RBIs Saturday to improve his season total to 11. Shaffer (.370) picked up one RBI Saturday, his ninth of the season.
Sophomore third baseman
Jake Nogalo (.389, 10 RBIs) also had two hits and picked up two RBIs Wednesday, while junior left fielder
Graeme Zaparzynski collected two hits and one RBI.
Senior second baseman
Matt Curtis and junior catcher
Ryan LaRose each also contributed two hits to the winning attack.
Junior center fielder
Jake Weibley clobbered his second home run of the season with two outs in the top of the second inning to get the scoring started and give SRU a lead it would not relinquish.
The Rock sent 10 batters to the plate as part of their six-run second-inning rally. After Weibley's circuit clout, The Rock got back-to-back-to-back singles from LaRose, Zaparzynski and Curtis to load the bases. Kengor then doubled two runs home, Nogalo slapped a two-run single and Shaffer smacked an RBI double.
SRU went back to work in the top of the third and manufactured its final run from a leadoff single by junior right fielder
Brandon Myers, LaRose's second single of the game and a sacrifice fly by Zaparzynski.
Sophomore southpaw
Anton Constantino was the beneficiary of the early fireworks, but also pitched seven strong innings as The Rock's starting pitcher to record his first win in three decisions this spring.
Constantino held Dartmouth scoreless while scattering seven hits and struck out four without issuing a base on balls in his second start of the season.
Junior right-hander
Ryan Oglesby yielded three earned runs on three hits and walked one in one inning of relief pitching before Rock ace
Lou Trivino, a junior right-hander, closed out the win by striking out two of the three batters he faced.
The relief appearance was the first in three collegiate seasons for Trivino, who has a 3-1 record and 0.63 ERA this spring and a 15-5 career record.
The Rock left Florida immediately following Wednesday's win to prepare for the start of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division competition.
SRU is scheduled to visit division rival Lock Haven University for a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, weather permitting.
The Rock and Bald Eagles are also scheduled to close out their four-game season series with a 1 p.m. twinbill Sunday at Jack Critchfield Park that would mark the Green and White's home debut this spring.
Check
www.rockathletics.com for possible schedule changes.
