SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team came up short in a pair of games Friday against California (Pa.) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader at CONSOL Energy Park in Washington, Pennsylvania.
 
Slippery Rock (7-26, 2-12 PSAC West) dropped game one to the Vulcans (18-12, 11-3 PSAC West) 7-3 before being edged in game two, 6-2.
 
Slippery Rock was led on the day by Frankie Jezioro and Carson Kessler, Jezioro went 4-for-7 with one run, one RBI and one triple over the doubleheader while Kessler had three hits one run, one home run and three RBI. Kessler's home run was his second of the season. Jezioro now has 11 hits in his last six games. He has improved his batting average 57 points from .241 to .298 since March 26.
 
GAME ONE: California 7 – Slippery Rock 3
California scored the game's first run in the bottom half of the opening inning when Carson Webb plated Danny McGrath, who reached base earlier in the inning on a walk and was moved over to third after a Chris Wastchak double, with a sacrifice fly.
 
The run would be the last for either team for the next four innings as Rock starter Jon Anderson and his Vulcan counterpart Jack Dennis settled in and traded scoreless innings over the middle portion of the game.
 
Trailing by a run and having just produced three hits to that point, Slippery Rock began its rally in the sixth with back-to-back singles by Tyler Walters and Jezioro. Two batters later Kessler delivered his three-run homer to give The Rock a 3-1 lead late in the contest.
 
However, the Vulcans proceeded to open up the bottom of the sixth with five quick runs, knocking Anderson from the game and taking a 6-3 lead. Andrew Null would come on for Anderson and get out of the inning, but not before California added one more run to take a 7-3 lead into the seventh.
 
Matt Carter came in for Dennis and recorded one out before SRU loaded the bases thanks to singles by Stephen McKee and Ty Zimmerman as well as a Jezioro walk. With Walters representing the game-tying run at the plate, Bobby Thompson came out of the bullpen for Carter and managed to get Walters to ground into a double play to end the game.
 
Jezioro concluded the opener by going 3-for-3 with one run and one walk. Walters added two hits and one run as well while Kessler led the way with his three-run home run.
 
Anderson (2-5) was great for five innings before the Vulcans got to the senior for their huge sixth inning. His stat line of seven runs on 10 hits and four walks was not an accurate representation of his performance. 
 
GAME TWO: California 6 – Slippery Rock 2
Slippery Rock recorded 10 hits in the nightcap, but couldn't overcome an early 3-1 deficit as the Vulcans ultimately came away with a 6-2 victory in game two to record the doubleheader sweep.
 
The Vulcans led by just two runs early on until a three-run home run by Joe Yourgal gave California a 6-1 lead through five innings of play. Slippery Rock cut into California's lead off of an RBI-single by Matt Mandes in the sixth that brought home Christian Porterfield. However, The Rock's rally bid would end there as Vulcan relief pitcher Carter Krick managed to get out of the jam in the sixth and Caleb Catherine followed Krick's effort up with a scoreless seventh inning of his own en route to the Vulcans' four-run win.
 
Alex Pantuso was solid on the mound in the loss for SRU. He threw his second complete game of the season, giving up six runs on six hits and four strikeouts over 93 pitches.
 
Kessler, James Divosevic and Mandes all registered two hits for Slippery Rock with Jezioro, Alex Bell, Porterfield and Preston Falascino all accounting for one hit apiece as well.
 
Slippery Rock and California will conclude their series with a doubleheader at Jack Critchfield Park Sunday on Military Appreciation Day. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.