SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team settled for a doubleheader split in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division action against Pitt-Johnstown Tuesday afternoon.
 
The games, which were Slippery Rock's home opening series, were a tale of two very different contests. The Rock utilized a balanced offensive and defensive attack in the opener to roll to an 8-1 victory, while shaky defense and costly mistakes caught up to SRU in the nightcap, with UPJ scraping out a 9-8 win to salvage the split.
 
With the split, Slippery Rock moved to 5-11 overall and 2-4 in PSAC-West action, while Pitt-Johnstown moved to 3-9 overall and 3-1 in league play.
 
Junior Stacey Herzog entered the day as The Rock's leading hitter and had another break through performance from the clean-up spot. Herzog went 3-for-7 on the day with two home runs (both in game one), four RBI, four runs and a walk.
 
Juniors Ashley Samluk and Katie Kaiser also contributed to Slippery Rock's offensive outburst. Samluk went 3-for-7 with a home run, double, two RBI and a run scored. Kaiser wreaked havoc on the bases, going 5-for-7 with two doubles, three runs scored, a RBI and two walks.
 
Sophomore Carly DeRose (2-4) put together her best start of the season off the mound, leading SRU to the victory behind a complete game, five hits and nine-strikeout performance. DeRose's nine strikeouts were the most since she tallied 10 against Sioux Falls as a freshman last spring.
 
Game One: Slippery Rock 8 – UPJ 1
Herzog wasted little time to get the offense going in The Rock's home opener, smashing the first career homerun with a pair of runners on base to give SRU a 3-0 lead after one inning of play.
 
The Mountain Cats answered with a rally in the top of the second, but DeRose picked up her third strikeout of the inning to escape a bases loaded jam.
 
Taylor Hoover led off the fourth inning with a solo blast to cut The Rock's lead to 3-1, but DeRose settled in and cruised through the final three innings to pick up the win.
 
Herzog added her second homerun in the bottom of the fifth, launching the delivery well over the right center wall to put SRU ahead 4-1. Two batters later, freshman Lauren Hawley smoked the first career homerun over the left field fence, increasing The Rock's lead to 5-1.
 
Freshman Emily Nagle led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to right centerfield before scoring and after a pair of runners reached, Samluk capped the three-run inning with a two-out double to centerfield to send SRU to the seventh up 8-1.
 
DeRose sat down the side in order to pick up the 102-pitch complete game victory.
 
Game Two: UPJ 9 – SRU 8
A Slippery Rock error in the first inning allowed a run to score and put SRU in an early hole. Samluk answered with a solo shot in the second inning to tie the score at 1-1, before senior Taylor Welch and sophomore McKenzie Popatak came around to score on an error and push Slippery Rock's lead to 3-1 after two.
 
The advantageous Mountain Cats capitalized on a Slippery Rock error, two wild pitches, two walks and two infield singles to plate six runs and surge ahead 7-3 in the top of the fourth. Five of the Mountain Cats' six runs were unearned.
 
Slippery Rock battled back, however, with three runs in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by back-to-back RBI doubles by Kaiser and sophomore Caitlin Baxter to pull The Rock within one at 7-6.
 
Steph Seibert responded for Pitt-Johnstown with a two-run homer in the top of the fifth, pushing the visitors back ahead 9-6.
 
The Rock scored again in the fifth, but stranded the bases loaded and headed to the sixth down 9-7. Herzog started a rally with a single through the infield, before Samluk walked to put the go-ahead run at the plate. Popatak smoked a line drive to left that looked destined to find its way over the wall, but it caught the top of the fence and sent the runners scrambling around the bases. Herzog scored to bring SRU within one at 9-8, but Samluk was narrowly gunned out at third in a bang-bang play to end the rally.
 
Pitt-Johnstown went quietly in the top of the seventh to bring The Rock up needing a run to tie the score. Freshman Allie Fischer led off the inning with a single to right before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. Kaiser followed with a single to put runners at the corners and stole second to put runners in scoring position with one out.
 
A pop-up into short right field looked like it might be deep enough to push the tying run across, but Slippery Rock was gunned out the plate trying to tag-up as Pitt-Johnstown hung on for the 9-8 victory in front of a stunned opening-day crowd.
 
Freshman Brooke Dawson (2-4) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs (two earned) in 3.1 innings pitched.
 
Freshman Paige Flore appeared in relief and allowed three runs (one earned) in 0.2 innings. Sophomore Sarah Petrash also appeared in relief, allowing one run on two hits and two strikeouts in 3.0 innings pitched.
 
Next Up:
Slippery Rock returns to PSAC-West action Friday at Indiana (Pa.). First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.