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Game 2
BUTLER, Pa. – Sophomore right-hander
Kyle Schneider pitched a one-hit shutout in the second game of Sunday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division baseball doubleheader at Pullman Park to lead Slippery Rock University to a 3-0 win and a split of the day's action.
Lock Haven (5-9, 1-1 PSAC-W) scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to record a 4-3 come-from-behind win in Sunday's first game, which was the first division game of the season for both teams.
The Game 1 loss snapped a four-game win streak by The Rock, who finished the day with a 14-5 overall record.
Schneider, who improved his season record to 4-0, was masterful in his second complete-game effort of the season. Schneider delivered 58 total pitches, or an average of eight per inning, and threw 46 of the pitches for strikes. He struck out four hitters.
The only hit allowed by Schneider and the only thing standing between him and a perfect game was a bunt single in front of home plate by LHU's Jay Hartman leading off the top of the fourth inning.
At that point, Schneider's teammates had given him a 3-0 lead.
SRU scored the only Game 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning off Lock Haven starting and losing pitcher Parker Watson. Key hits in the rally were a leadoff single by junior shortstop
Will Kengor and run-scoring doubles by junior first baseman
Kevin Jovanovich, junior right fielder
Brandon Myers and junior center fielder
Jake Weibley back-to-back-to-back.
The Rock threatened to score again in the bottom of the third when Jovanovich (above photo) slapped his second double of the game with one out, but he was left stranded at second base.
Jovanovich's doubles led a five-hit Rock attack in Game 2.
The Rock also held a 3-0 lead in Game 1, only to see Lock Haven score four times in the top of the seventh and final inning to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Sophomore third baseman
Jake Nogalo (right photo) singled, stole second, moved to third on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch to give SRU a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
The Rock had a chance to add to their early lead in the bottom of the second, when they had runners on second and third bases with one out, but failed to capitalize on the situation.
In the end, that squandered opportunity came back to haunt the Green and White.
The Rock came back in the bottom of the third and added two tallies, keyed by a bloop double down the left-field line by Nogalo and a two-out, two-run single by Weibley, to take a 3-0 lead.
That lead appeared safe with Rock ace
Lou Trivino on the mound and throwing blanks at the Bald Eagles, but ultimately wasn't enough to secure the win.
Trivino pitched a no-hit shutout for the first four and two-thirds innings and had five strikeouts to his credit before Lock Haven got its first hit of the game with two outs in the top of the fifth inning.
An inning later, the Bald Eagles got two more hits off Trivino, but he also struck out two more batters and kept his shutout going through six innings.
The top of the seventh proved to be the junior right-hander's downfall, as well as The Rock's, as the first four Lock Haven batters reached base via a pair of walks, a hit and a misplaced a sacrifice bunt.
Trivino left the game in favor of closer
John Kovalik with SRU holding a 3-1 lead and the bases loaded with no one out.
A fielder's choice, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single pushed across the final three runs and gave Lock Haven the victory.
Trivino was tagged with the loss, his second in as many starts after opening the season with three wins. He finished with seven strikeouts, four walks and four runs allowed (two earned) on four hits in six-plus innings.
Kovalik, who would have picked up his team-best fifth save of the season if he had been able to slam the door on Lock Haven's comeback, allowed one hit in the final inning.
Nogalo had two of The Rock's four Game 1 hits.
SRU is not scheduled to play again until Friday, when it travels to division rival Clarion for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Rock and Clarion are scheduled to close out their four-game season series with a 1 p.m. twinbill Saturday at Jack Critchfield Park in Slippery Rock.
